Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Dad?
by Dracorum1
Summary: Lucius is drastically changed by a near death experience. But is it for the better? We'll let his wife and son decide that, who, I should mention, are completely freaked out.
1. Voldemort's Anger

Chapter One: Voldemort's Anger  
  
Lucius Malfoy stood tensely in front of his master Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was furious because once again, Harry Potter had managed to thwart his plans for world domination. Lucius usually had to bare the brunt of his master's anger, and most of the blame.  
  
The rest of the Death Eaters had disappeared already. A gathering had been called in order for Voldemort to save face and make sure that they understood that he was still powerful and in control. There had been a few acts of dissention in the ranks; several of the Death Eaters were becoming restless and began to doubt if they should be serving a master who was continually being beaten by a mere child. One such unfortunate soul was singled out at the meeting and met with the full wrath of Voldemort. He had been tortured with several curses before he was finally killed. Not a word was spoken by any of the Death Eaters for quite a while as they watched Voldemort laugh at the body of the man who lay in front of him.  
  
After that, Voldemort made some rather long-winded speeches about his plans and loyalty and what would happen to anyone who decided to speak out against him again. They were then allowed to leave except for Lucius. He had expected to be detained.  
  
Voldemort began in an unnervingly calm demeanor. However, his tone became more and more agitated, rising in furry every few words. He began to blame Lucius for apparent incompetence, something that Lucius was quite used to. Soon Voldemort began to cast the Crucio curse upon him. Lucius' body was wracked with pain. He leaned heavily upon a table that sat in the room. He did not cry out or protest, not wishing to show his master any weakness. He merely bore the pain. This was the normal routine of his meetings with the Dark Lord.  
  
At last Voldemort ended the punishment. He didn't say a word but swept out of the dank room, Lucius bowing in respect, but mostly because of pain. The punishment had lasted much longer than usual. His body felt so weak that he was hardly able to pull out his wand in order to Apparate himself back home. He quickly and painfully mumbled his destination and disappeared with a pop. 


	2. At the Manor

Chapter Two: At the Manor  
  
The large, wood-carved grandfather clock located in the parlor of Malfoy Manor chimed announcing the arrival of half past midnight. Within this parlor Narcissa Malfoy paced a few more times in front of the massive, green marble fireplace and then sat down on a velvet cushioned couch. As soon as she had finished smoothing out her dress the parlor door opened and Draco walked in.  
  
"Draco, dear, are you still up? I thought you went to bed an hour ago."  
  
"I'm not tired. Been doing some homework."  
  
"Oh, that's good." Narcissa said.  
  
" He's not back yet is he?"  
  
"No." was the short reply.  
  
Draco walked over and sat next to his mother.  
  
"The meeting started at 9:30. According to some of the other wives Voldemort was extremely angry about his latest defeat."  
  
"Is there ever a time when he's not?" Draco said.  
  
"Mrs. Roberts' husband was killed and all the other Death Eaters have returned home. With as angry as I heard that Voldemort was I'm guessing that your father won't be home for quite a while tonight." Narcissa sniffed slightly and dabbed her nose with her handkerchief. Draco placed his hand upon his mother's shoulder.  
  
"Mum, do you know what this means?"  
  
"What, dear?"  
  
"Star Wars: Return of the Jedi special edition. I've been dying to see if I'm right about whether or not Princess Leia will drop Han Solo and go for Luke."  
  
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Even though Han Solo is frozen she'll still love him. Besides, I think that Leia and Luke are brother and sister."  
  
"Yeah right! Now look who's being ridiculous."  
  
"Guess we'll just have to watch it and see who's right." Said Narcissa.  
  
"Yeah. I'll get it set up and you get the popcorn." Draco stood up to leave, "Oh, and Mum, are you catching a cold?"  
  
"No, dear, just a slight allergy." Narcissa said as she dabbed her nose again.  
  
Not much later..  
  
Draco and Narcissa sat on an over-stuffed white couch which was covered in a zillion brightly colored floral prints. The room was decorated was several vases of scented flowers, dozens of dolls with frilly skirts, and a vast assortment of foofy pillows. The carpet was a very strong shade of pink as well as the curtains that covered the windows. It was a room that every young girl would dream of. A pinkish glow almost emanated from the room. This was Draco's and Narcissa's sanctuary, even though it took quite some time to convince Draco to enter it. Narcissa had begged Lucius to allow her a room of her own to decorate. A place where she could read and sew and write poetry. At first Lucius had refused thinking that it was a ridiculous idea. However, she finally got her way after threatening her husband with playing her opera music, something Lucius hated with a passion, non-stop until he agreed to let her have that room. Needless to say, he relented rather quickly. Narcissa was thrilled because now she and her son had a place where they could go and indulge in their addiction to muggle movies. They knew that Lucius would never walk in on their movie watching as he had made it a rule that he would never enter that room. This was probably due to the fact that he believed that if he did enter the room the pinkish glow, flowery scent, and floral designs would slowly and painfully melt him away. He could not stand the brightness and cheeriness of that room; preferring the dark, gloominess of the rest of the manor.  
  
So here, mother and son sat watching the movie that they had waited so long to get the opportunity to see. Over the Christmas holidays Narcissa and Draco had finished watching every "I Love Lucy" episode available and discovered the Star Wars trilogy. They had managed to see the first two before Draco had to go back to school, but had to wait until the summer in order to see the third. It was two weeks into the summer and they still hadn't been able to see it, until tonight.  
  
The two sat silently, staring at the screen, a large bowel of popcorn between them.  
  
"Whoa!" Exclaimed Draco as the scene of Princess Leia in a very skimpy outfit, sitting in front of Jabba the Hut came on. Narcissa promptly placed her hand in front of her son's eyes.  
  
"Mother!" Draco said as he tried to push his mother's hand away. "God, I'm sixteen!"  
  
"I don't care. No son of mine is going to gawk at a naked girl."  
  
"She isn't naked."  
  
"I don't care."  
  
"Mother, you're going to make me miss an important part of the movie." He said as he heard Luke Skywalker's voice on the screen.  
  
Narcissa reluctantly lowered her hand.  
  
About an hour later Narcissa said, "I'm so glad you came to the parlor when you did, Draco. I was about to go out of my mind with boredom. I was even pacing just for something to do. This is so much fun."  
  
Draco just smiled and went back to watching the film. 


	3. I'm What!

Chapter Three: I'm What?!  
  
To Lucius' surprise he found himself standing in the middle of the cemetery which was located on the grounds of the Malfoy Manor. He was about to repeat the spell that would allow him to Apparate inside the manor when he realized that his hand no longer held his wand.  
  
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he looked at his hand and then at the ground, wondering if he might possibly have dropped it. He then looked up and, to his amazement, noticed that the sky was no longer covered in the blanket of night, but was bright and sunny with a few clouds slowly drifting through the sea of blue. He looked around thoroughly confused, and then he saw a small group of people gathered around what appeared to be fresh grave. He saw his wife and son standing together and only a few other people that he recognized as fellow Death Eaters and their wives.  
  
"What is going on here?" he demanded as he stalked over to the group, but not a soul looked up to acknowledge his presence. He became angry and repeated the question. Still there was no answer.  
  
"They can't hear you." Came a voice from behind him. Lucius reeled around to look at a small, rather pudgy man standing but a few feet away from him.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!"  
  
"Well, I guess you could say that I'm sort of your guardian angel."  
  
"My what?!"  
  
"It's true. I'm kind of a spiritual being whose purpose it is to help those who need it."  
  
"I don't need any help." Lucius spat.  
  
"I think you do because, well, to put it delicately." the angel looked pensively, trying to figure out how to put what he was about to say. "Well, there is just no way to put it delicately. Lucius, welcome to your funeral."  
  
Lucius stood completely stunned by what he heard. He soon was able to collect himself and spit out, "This is ridiculous!"  
  
"Believe me, there is nothing ridiculous about being dead."  
  
"I am NOT dead!"  
  
"Look around you. You're in a graveyard. Those people over there are standing around your grave. If you don't believe me go over and look at the stone."  
  
Lucius looked angrily at the angel and stalked over to where the small group of people were gathered. He walked over to Narcissa's side. "Narcissa." There was no answer. "Narcissa!" She still didn't answer or even acknowledge his presence.  
  
"I told you, they can't hear or see you."  
  
Lucius looked at the headstone that simply bore his name and the date that he was born and died and nothing else. He raised his eyebrow slightly at this. He looked around at the surrounding figures. All of them wore serious faces but none seemed particularly grief stricken. A few actually seemed bored.  
  
Lucius turned to the angel. "This doesn't prove that I am dead. This could be a trick or just a figment of my imagination. After all, it has been a very long day."  
  
"I assure you it is not." The angel said solemnly. "Don't you remember the accident?"  
  
"What accident?"  
  
"Allow me to take you back." With that the angel took a hold of Lucius' arm and they suddenly appeared on the side of a narrow road that cut through a thick, wooded area.  
  
"What the." exclaimed Lucius as he found himself suddenly surrounded by woods instead of the graveyard. He furrowed his brow and looked at the short angel. "What are we doing here?"  
  
The angel simply nodded his head towards the road. Lucius looked over but saw nothing. "What?!" he said impatiently.  
  
"Just wait for it."  
  
In a moment Lucius could hear the unmistakable sound of a car's engine quickly approaching. He then saw a pair of very bright headlights and had to squint slightly. The car came closer and then suddenly Lucius heard a pop. He looked to see himself apparated in the middle of the street. He let out an involuntary cry as within half a second he saw the car colliding into himself, sending him flying up and over the car, and landing with a sickening crunch on the pavement.  
  
His eyes went a bit wider than usual.  
  
He watched, stunned, as a young woman rushed out of her car and over to his lifeless, and bloody body.  
  
"Now do you remember?" asked the angel.  
  
Lucius' mind raced. Suddenly he felt the memories coming back. He remembered casting the apparating spell and finding himself in the middle of the street. He even began to remember the car coming at him and hitting him.  
  
"How. " he began, but the angel cut him off.  
  
"After Voldemort's torturing was over you weren't able to speak clear enough and wound up apparating yourself here."  
  
Lucius walked over to his dead body and watched as the girl became hysterical at having accidentally killed someone.  
  
Suddenly everything fell into place within his mind and realization hit. "Oh crap!" he said as if he was disgusted and annoyed at being dead. 


	4. Second Chance

Chapter Four: Second Chance  
  
Lucius stood, glaring at nothing in particular. His lips were pressed tightly together making them almost disappear entirely and his brow was furrowed in a look of deep concentration. Suddenly a very unpleasant idea struck him and he turned to the angel who was merely standing silently on the side of the road.  
  
"Am I a ghost?"  
  
"No." replied the angel.  
  
"Then what am I still doing here? Why am I not in hell?"  
  
"Please!" exclaimed the angel as he cupped his hands tightly around his ears. "We can not bear to hear that word."  
  
Lucius just glared at the angel.  
  
"The reason why you are still here is because you are being given a second chance."  
  
"A second chance at what?" he spat.  
  
"A second chance at loving and being loved in return." The angel said, his hands folded, head slightly tilted skyward and a far off gaze in his eyes.  
  
"Oh, cut the crap!"  
  
"Okay," said the angel as his heavenly glow suddenly disappeared. "Truth is it was my fault that Tizzy was."  
  
"Tizzy? What's a Tizzy?"  
  
"Tizzy is the girl that ran you over. Honestly!" said the exasperated angel. "As I was saying it was my fault that Tizzy was driving down this road. See, I'm her guardian angel as well, and there was a huge amount of traffic ahead, and she is probably the worst driver, so to keep her from getting into an accident I diverted her car to coming down this road with a 'Road Closed' sign. How was I to know that you would be spontaneously apparating in the middle of the street?"  
  
"So, it's your fault that I'm dead?!" exclaimed Lucius as his temper began to rise.  
  
"Well, I guess you could put it that way."  
  
"You must be the most incompetent guardian angel."  
  
"Hey, look, pal, it wasn't me who couldn't perform a simple apparition and avoid getting run over."  
  
Lucius became furious and lunged at the angel, throwing a strong punch towards his head. However, his arm and fist swung through nothing but air. The angel was no longer in front of him. Lucius looked slightly confused as he tried to figure out what just happened when he suddenly heard a voice coming from behind him.  
  
"Tsk.tsk. Temeper.temper. If you keep acting like this I will not be giving you your chance at redemption."  
  
"What redemption?! Lucius hissed, attempting with all his might to control himself from swinging another punch at the pudgy angel. "As far I can tell I am still dead and I must be in HELL because I am stuck with you!"  
  
The angel glared at Lucius and then decided to ignore the comment. He instead very slowly stated through clenched teeth, "Look I'm not too thrilled with hanging around with you too, after all, you aren't the most pleasant man. However, because it was my mistake that brought you to your untimely end, I have to make things right. There is a catch though. I can't just snap my fingers and put you back in your body. No, I have to change you."  
  
"Excuse me?" said Lucius, rather annoyed.  
  
"I have to change you. Make you a better person. Show you the errors of your ways. Prove to you that there are better things in life than just power and money. I need to make you realize that love is the most important thing in this world."  
  
Lucius' face twisted in disgust at the very idea.  
  
"Then, and only then, can I place you back in your body."  
  
"What are you talking about? What has love got to do with anything?"  
  
"Lucius, you are a man who bears no love and is not loved by others."  
  
"Oh, please." Lucius said in a more disgusted tone.  
  
"I know, I hate thing mushy speech too, but you and I are going to stuck with each other until it's done and my mission is completed."  
  
"Look, I do love and am loved. My wife and son."  
  
"Are completely indifferent to your death."  
  
Lucius was rendered speechless for a few moments and then managed to say, "That is ridiculous! Of course they love me!"  
  
"Oh really? Why would they?"  
  
"Because." Lucius couldn't think of a 'because' and just spat out, "Because they do."  
  
"Shall I show you them now and how they are dealing with your death?"  
  
Lucius folded his arms and raised his head slightly, looking down at the angel with an icy glare. "Yes."  
  
The angel grabbed a hold of Lucius' arm once again and they instantly found themselves in one of the extremely large sitting rooms of Malfoy manor. Lucius quickly surveyed the room. There was only a very small handful of people there. They were all chatting together, smiling, and laughing occasionally. Overall, that atmosphere was really quite cheery. He then noticed that two men, which he recognized as Crabbe and Goyle Sr., striding over to where he was standing. He then noticed that he was standing in front of a rather long table that was completely covered in a vast assortment of wonderful food. When they reached the table the two men promptly began to fill their plates with massive quantities of food.  
  
"Hey, I must say, these Malfoys sure do know how to throw a party." Said Crabbe Sr. as he stuffed a bun in his mouth.  
  
"This isn't a party." Replied Goyle Sr. "It's funeral."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. It's too bad that we couldn't bring Malfoy back to life so that he could die again."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Because, if he died again, then there'd be another great buffet. The food is the only reason why I'm here."  
  
Both the men laughed and Lucius walked away completely disgusted. He then stopped as he came up to the group of people who had just burst out in peels of laughter. "And the great Lucius Malfoy, most faithful and important Death Eater, was brought down by, get this, a muggle and her car!" The laughter rose again and Lucius just walked away, the angel closely following. He then stopped at where his wife was sitting in the corner of the room. He looked triumphantly at the angel as he noticed that his wife was dabbing at her nose and her eyes appeared moist. Draco suddenly walked into the room and up to his mother's chair.  
  
"Mum, are you okay?" he said as he handed her a fresh handkerchief.  
  
"Yes, Draco, I'm fine. My allergies are just acting up again. That potion that Dr. Minston gave me doesn't seem to help very much. I also think that there was too much garlic and onion in the salad, my eyes are watering up." She then proceeded to dab at her eyes. Lucius just stared unbelievingly at her.  
  
"What are they laughing at over there?" Draco asked.  
  
"Oh, they're probably just making some jokes about how your father died."  
  
"Oh." Said Draco. An involuntary smile began to creep over his face. His mother saw thins and promptly hit the side of his arm.  
  
"Draco! I will admit that the circumstances surround Lucius' death are a trifle ironic, but he was your father and I will not have you laughing about his being dead."  
  
"Sorry, Mother."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"I am sad that he's dead, I mean he was my father." Lucius looked slightly triumphant at what his son said. The angel just shrugged his shoulders. "But, there's nothing we can do about it now."  
  
His mother let out a sigh, "When are these people going to leave? I'm rather tired and would prefer that they would just leave. After all, they are just here for the food."  
  
"Mother," Draco said, "You aren't going to bed are you? You promised that you'd watch "The Lord of the Rings" with me tonight."  
  
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Of course I'll watch it with you." She smiled up at her son and squeezed his arm slightly. "Now you should probably head over and talk to some of the guests."  
  
Draco quickly obeyed his mother.  
  
Lucius was looking furious. How could they be so cold and unfeeling. He was dead! Didn't they care? He turned to the angel, "Why aren't they distraught over my being dead? What happened?" He opened his mouth to speak again but then something hit him, "Wait a second." He looked at his son, "What I is "The Lord of the Rings"? That better not be one of those muggle movie things!" But Draco could not hear his father.  
  
"Never mind about that." The angel said. "You want to see why they got the they are? Allow me to show you."  
  
Just before the angel grabbed his arm and made them disappear again, Lucius could hear a woman speaking to his wife about some party they were going to put on. "Oh, and Narcissa, dear, I have the most wonderful cousin that I want to set you up with. He's tall, handsome, and a wonderful." Lucius did not hear the rest, but his eyes narrowed and his whole face darkened at the mere thought of his wife on the arm of any other man. 


	5. You Drove Them Away

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter up. The last couple of days have been a little crazy. My mom and I went horse shopping and wound up buying a very cute Tennessee Walker. So my time has been taken up with getting everything ready for him and getting him used to his new home and our other horses. Now I have some free time so here is the next chapter. Hope you like it. Oh, and thanks to all who gave me suggestions.  
  
Hey, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad you all like the story.  
  
Lady of Life- Gasp! Blasphemy! The Malfoys are my favorite characters! I always go for the bad guys in movies or books. But I must admit that reading fiction surrounding the Malfoys is usually unpleasant, what with all the abuse, incest, rape, and what-not. I actually don't read the ones with incest and rape. Anyway, I just felt like throwing a fic out there that didn't have all that angsty stuff and was completely off the wall. Really glad that you are enjoying the story. I'll try to do better with my typos and stuff. I always reread what I wrote, but an author usually misses their own mistakes. Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to go back and fix them. Thanks for your lovely review.  
  
Aeryn Alexander- Glad you like my story. I thought I'd be a little different and write a fic where mother and son are close and secretly indulge in a muggle vice, television. I'm not a huge fan of Star Wars but I thought that it'd be funny to have them watching a Sci-fi movie. Thanks for your reviews, I enjoyed reading them.  
  
Sailoranime- Yeah, a Malfoy watching tv? Kinda weird, but this whole fic is going to be crazy. Just wait until Lucius comes back from the dead. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Hermonic Friction- Glad you love the story. Thanks for letting me know. Knowing how much people like my story helps me to keep writing it.  
  
Athena- Thank you for your wonderful suggestions. I have put them in the story, however, I do not have him selling their wedding rings, but he does lose it. I also have the idea where Draco is trying to get his dad's attention but have tweaked it a bit. Thanks again. You helped me out.  
  
Emif- Thanks for your suggestion. I've put it in the story. However, if there are some particular things that you had in mind to happen on the date, let me know and I'll put them in. Thanks again for your great help.  
  
Summery of Chapter the Fifth---Okay, so this chapter is going to be about why his family is so indifferent to Lucius' death. What did he do that made people not care about him and the fact that he's dead? So, this chapter is going to have several sad scenes in it. There's no abuse and it's not too angsty; just a portrayal of a very emotionally detached man. Let me know if it's too sob story or not angsty enough to make the indifference to his death believable. If you have any suggestions let me know and I will consider putting them into the chapter. Thanks and love you all.  
  
Chapter Five: You Drove Them Away  
  
Within a moment Lucius found himself no longer surrounded by the familiarity of his own sitting room, but was now standing in the middle of a very busy street. Flocks of young Hogwarts students were running about excitedly along the street and in and out of the many interesting shops. Lucius quickly recognized this place as the magical town of Hogsmeade, and , judging by the amount of children rushing about, he dedeuced that it must be a Hogsmeade weekend for the students. What Lucius couldn't figure out is why he was standing there.  
  
"What are we doing here?" he said in a disgusted tone as a large group of Hufflepuffs went running by, laughing rather boisterously. His face was twisted in a grimace as he surveyed the masses. He never did like kids much.  
  
"We are here because I figured that it would be best if we started at the beginning and this is roughly the beginning." Replied the angel.  
  
Lucius just looked at the angel credulously. "What is he talking about? The beginning of what?" he thought. Just then the angel looked past Lucius and nodded his head, silently telling Lucius to look in the same direction. So he turned and, to his amazement, was met with himself, only he was sixteen years old, his blond hair was quite a bit shorter and slicked back, much like Draco's, and his body was quite a bit leaner and a few inches shorter. He hadn't quite reached his final growth spurt at that age.  
  
He watched as his younger self stood, obviously waiting for someone, and looking rather impatient and annoyed. Within a few minutes a rather young, blond girl came striding up to him. Narcissa was fifteen and was obviously the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts. Even though she was quite young, she stood about an inch or two taller than Lucius. He was not too happy about that fact. However, Narcissa was the prettiest girl at the school and Lucius had been brought up to always desire the finest. His parents had pushed him into beginning the search for a proper wife, wanting him to get married soon after graduating Hogwarts. They had strongly recommended Narcissa, her being from a very wealthy and influential family. Lucius, like his father, found those two things to be the most important when finding a wife. The fact that Narcissa was a raving beauty was, in his mind, a great bonus.  
  
So there his sixteen year old self stood, looking rather put out, as Narcissa strode over to his side for their first date.  
  
Lucius looked at the angel quizzically. He hadn't the slightest idea why he was watching this. The angel just told him to watch and find out.  
  
"You're six minutes late." Said the young Lucius as he looked at his watch and then placed it back in his pocket.  
  
"Well, it takes time to make oneself look beautiful, and I wanted to make sure that I looked special for you." Narcissa said sweetly as she looked, slightly "down", at her companion.  
  
"Looks as if you could have used some more time." He said as he looked critically at her.  
  
A look of surprise came over her face at what he had said. Narcissa had thought that she did quite well with herself. After all, it was just a trip to Hogsmeade, not a ball at the bloody palace. Her surprised look quickly disappeared as she took a hold of his arm. Lucius quickly pulled away.  
  
"If you don't mind, I prefer not to be touched."  
  
"Oh, of course." She said, a little hurt. "I see you didn't bring me any flowers or chocolates."  
  
"Why would I do that?"  
  
"Well, that's what a lot of people do for a first date."  
  
"Why would I want to go and waist money on something that is just going to wilt or be eaten within a couple of days?"  
  
Narcissa decided not to comment further, but simply walked next to Lucius as he turned to stroll down the street.  
  
The older Lucius turned to see the angel looking at him with an expression that said, "You asshole!" Lucius was in fact slightly embarrassed by his sixteen year old self's actions. Watching it happening in front of him made it seem much different than what he remembered; it seemed much more rude and cruel.  
  
"Well, they would have wilted or been eaten within a couple of days." He said in his defense.  
  
The angel just looked at him and sighed in disgust. He then said, "Let's skip ahead slightly, shall we?" With that he snapped his fingers and the scene surrounding them zoomed past until it came upon the young couple seated at a small table in one of the many restaurants in Hogsmeade. Lucius and the angel stood next to the table, listening to the conversation.  
  
"Of course, Lucius, I agree, Hogwarts should be a little more selective when it comes to their choice in students. But to not allow any half-bloods or muggle-borns, don't you think that that is a bit extreme?"  
  
"Typical." Said an annoyed Lucius.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"You women. You always are so sentimental."  
  
"Excuse me?" asked a very confused Narcissa.  
  
"If it were up to you women you'd let every stray or mutt into the school. You're always so emotional and incapable and making tough decisions, even if it was for the betterment of the school. It's disgusting. No wonder you women were strictly kept out of the ministry for so many centuries. If running the ministry were left up to you women it would crumble within a day. In fact, it's already rather weak as they are letting more and more women into it."  
  
Narcissa raised an eyebrow at this.  
  
"Well it would." Said the older Lucius to a glaring angel.  
  
"Lucius, I was merely stating my view upon the whole muggle-born, half-blood issue. Not trying to reform the government."  
  
"Well, women shouldn't worry about having opinions, let alone voicing them. Women are for decoration, not thinking."  
  
Narcissa set her jaw. She wasn't going to explode even though he was being a colossal, sexist prat. Her parents had made her go out with Lucius. They had actually lectured her for several years that if Lucius ever asked her out she was to accept , no 'buts' about it. She knew that she would be in a load of trouble if she blew up and ruined this. She simply kept her mouth closed and vented her anger upon the piece of meat that she was viciously cutting through.  
  
The angel took hold of Lucius' arm again and they proceeded to the Slytherin common room where several of Lucius' old classmates sat, talking quietly amongst each other. At that moment young Lucius and Narcissa entered the room, back from their first date.  
  
"Hey, Lucius, come over here because we have some news that you might find interesting."  
  
Young Lucius looked at Narcissa and simply said, "Goodnight." He then left her side and went over to where his fellow classmates, and future Death Eaters, sat. Narcissa stood, slightly shocked for a moment. There was no, 'I had a good time', 'May I see you again', 'Have a wonderful evening', no kiss, no nothing. There had just been a cold, 'Goodnight' and she was left to escort herself up the stairs.  
  
The angel and Lucius went forward again and found themselves of the edge of the lake watching young Lucius and Narcissa on one of their many walks.  
  
"Why won't you take me to Les Miserables?"  
  
"I told you, I hate operas. If you want to go I'll pay for it, but I am NOT going. Take someone else to torture."  
  
"Why is it that you will never take an interest in anything that I enjoy or think highly of? It's as if you have no interest in me and who I am at all."  
  
"Of course I have interest in you. After all, you are the most beautiful girl in the school."  
  
"But what else?"  
  
"What do you mean, what else?"  
  
"What else interests you?"  
  
Young Lucius looked confused. After a moment he replied, "Well, you're wealthy and come from a very important family."  
  
"Is that all? Is that all you care about?"  
  
"Well, what else is there?"  
  
Narcissa stomped off towards the castle leaving a bewildered Lucius by the lake.  
  
"How you got that woman to marry you I'll never know." The angle said as he grabbed a hold of Lucius' arm and proceeded on.  
  
They were now in the giant ballroom of Malfoy manor. It was their wedding reception and the room was filled with the chatting and clamoring of about 1200 guests. Narcissa, clad in a beautiful white wedding gown that fit closely to her body until it reached her knees and then flowed out behind her in a long train, stood, looking around the room for her new husband. They had entered the ballroom together and had danced one dance, but now, as the reception progressed he had disappeared. She searched desperately for him as the time for the traditional toasts were coming up. He was no where to be found. Narcissa spotted Crabbe and grabbed a hold of his arm.  
  
"Have you seen Lucius?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, he left."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Him and a bunch of the guys got bored and decided to go to that new Muggle artifacts museum and destroy it."  
  
Poor Narcissa was left to explain to the guest that her husband was not there to accept the toasts. Her face was flushed crimson as she stammered out an excuse for his absence. She then sat down in a chair behind the long table and tried with all her strength to put on a happy front, attempting to show that there was nothing wrong. However, if one was observant, they would notice the glasses of alcohol that she was quickly consuming.  
  
In the blink of an eye Lucius and the angel appeared in the large bedroom where the young couple were to stay that night before they headed over to France for their honeymoon. Lucius cringed as he saw his wife of the past crying uncontrollable into a large, silk covered pillow. Lucius had never realized that his wife had been so upset as he had not returned home until about five in the morning and Narcissa had been fast asleep for some time.  
  
The hands in the clock on the mantelpiece moved forward very quickly until they landed on eight o'clock. Lucius and Narcissa were up and getting ready to leave.  
  
"Narcissa," young Lucius said, "Your ring is on the floor over here."  
  
Narcissa rushed over towards the fireplace and picked up the ring that she had thrown across the room the night before. She quickly placed it back on her finger. She then looked at Lucius' hand and saw that he did not have his ring on as well.  
  
"Where's yours?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I lost it last night. A bunch of us were playing poker and I ran out of money." Lucius said this in a very matter-of-fact tone.  
  
Older Lucius saw the pained look on his wife's face that he had not seen that morning due to the fact that her back was turned. He cringed slightly inside but did not let it show on his face.  
  
At that moment the angel took hold of his arm again. They were now standing in the master bedroom and it was seven years later. Lucius could tell because his wife lay in the bed, very pregnant. Lucius had gained control of the Malfoy estate as his father had died two years earlier and his mother had moved back to her original home in Iceland.  
  
Lucius watched as his other self hurriedly entered the room.  
  
"Lucius, you're home!"  
  
"Well, obviously, woman." He said very agitatedly. "I'm only home for a moment though. I need to pick up some papers and head out to have dinner with a few of my, erm, colleagues." He said this as he went through a few drawers of the desk and pulled out some documents.  
  
Narcissa knew he meant that he was going to meet some of his Death Eater colleagues and not those at the ministry.  
  
"But Lucius, what about tonight?"  
  
"What about it?" he said shortly.  
  
"It's our anniversary and you promised me a dinner somewhere nice. You know I haven't been out for a long time and tonight is supposed to be special."  
  
Lucius snorted. He had forgotten about their anniversary, but he was not about to let his wife know that. "I haven't got time for silly dinners. Besides, we'd have to floo to the restaurant and with the state you are in right now I doubt you'd be able to fit in the fireplace." With that he rushed out of the room, leaving Narcissa to weep once again on the bed, feeling alone, unloved, and very fat.  
  
Time slipped forward again and Lucius now watched as his wife held their new son, Draco. His other self entered the room once again and walked towards the closet without so much as a glance at his wife and son. He began to pull out his Death Eater robes and laid them on the bed.  
  
"Lucius." Narcissa said, "Why don't you hold your son?"  
  
Lucius froze for a second and looked at her in a bewildered way. "Why?"  
  
"Well, all you've done is merely glance at him the day he was born and that was a week ago. Don't you want to meet your son, hold him, or something?"  
  
"No." he said shortly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Look, I don't have time for this, sentiment and all that crap. The Death Eaters have been very busy as the Dark Lord is gaining more and more strength. In fact I have a meeting this very evening. We've got this kid for at least the next eighteen years so I don't think that there is any rush in getting know him at the moment. Besides, I don't much like babies and it's the woman's job to take care of them. Lucius had a look on his face that clearly said that the subject was closed.  
  
Time progressed even further and Lucius was seated behind his large mahogany desk in the study. He sifted through a large stack of papers and occasional wrote something down upon them. A five year old Draco lay on his stomach on the floor in front of the fire drawing on a piece of paper. He suddenly decided that he was finished, jumped up, and bounded over to where his father sat.  
  
"Father," he said as he tugged on Lucius' robes with one hand and held the picture in the other. "look what I drew." Lucius did not make any sign acknowledging his son's presence. "Father." Draco tried again. Still Lucius didn't respond. Draco tried a few more times. Finally a very frustrated Draco decided that he was going to get his father's attention and proceeded to scramble up onto the desk by way of using the drawers as steps. He thrust the picture in front of his father but as he did so he overturned a bottle of ink that quickly spread across the parchments and began to drip on the floor. Lucius jumped up and began to yell at his son.  
  
"You stupid, STUPID boy! What the hell do you think you are doing!"  
  
Draco scrambled off the desk as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry, Father, I just wanted to show you my picture." He held up the picture as proof.  
  
Lucius snatched away the drawing of a dragon, stalked over to the fireplace, and threw it into the flames. "Go to your room! You are hereby grounded for two weeks!"  
  
Little Draco quickly ran out of the room, wiping away the tears from his eyes as he did so.  
  
Lucius and the angel went forward again and saw an eight year old Draco sitting on a couch in the parlor, looking up every couple of minutes at the clock. After a while Narcissa walked over to her son and sat down next to him.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be here any minute." She said as she put an arm around him.  
  
The hands on the clock sped forward for an hour. Narcissa and Draco still sat on the couch. Draco was now looking very upset.  
  
"He promised. He promised he'd take me to the Quidditch Nationals today."  
  
"Maybe he's just running late. He'll be here."  
  
"No." said Draco as he shook his head. "He won't. Besides, it's too late now. The game has already been going on for a couple of hours. What's the point of going now?"  
  
"Maybe he just forgot." Narcissa said trying to comfort her son.  
  
"He always forgets."  
  
"Well, how about this? Let's you and I go out somewhere. You can choose anywhere you want to go and I'll buy you something very special. We'll celebrate your birthday just the two of us. How does that sound?"  
  
"Thanks, Mother, but I think I'll just go to my room." With that, Draco slowly walked out of the parlor and up the stairs to his room.  
  
Another journey forward showed a fourteen year old Draco sitting at the desk in his room, furiously writing in what appeared to be a journal. In a moment the sound of Narcissa's voice could be heard calling her son's name. Draco put his quill down and obediently went to find out what his mother wanted. Lucius looked questioningly at the angel. The angel pointed to the journal. Lucius walked over and began to read what his son was writing.  
  
"Father yelled at me again. He yelled because I wasn't the best in my classes. He yelled because Slytherin didn't win the house cup. He yelled because I got hexed on the train. Like I could help that. He said I was stupid and incompetent as a wizard. He didn't even ask if I was alright. He just yelled. Well, that does it. I'm through with trying to live up to his standards and please him. If he doesn't care about me then why should I care about him? I'm done, finished, I'm not going to care anymore."  
  
Lucius gave an involuntary shudder at his son's words. Just then the angel touched his arm and they were back on the side of the road where the accident had occurred. Feelings of guilt and remorse surged through his heart. His eyes were now open to what a jerk he had been and he was determined to change that. However, his pride was not going to allow him to come right out and admit it and the angel knew this.  
  
"Now do you understand?" the angel asked.  
  
Lucius straightened up a bit and looked defiantly at the angel. "I'll admit that I am not a perfect husband or father, but."  
  
"Oh, you pathetic excuse for a man!"  
  
Lucius was shocked at what he heard. He had never experienced someone talking to him in this way.  
  
"Are you really going to make me say this?!" The angel sighed, "Fine! You're pathetic and unfeeling. You pushed everyone away and kept a wall up so that no one could get close to you. Not even your own wife and son who tried desperately for years, but were violently shoved aside. Can you blame them for not being too heartbroken that you're dead? Your death has probably hardly placed a ripple in their lives. Not like you were a big part of them. Their lives will probably be better with you gone. I even know for a fact that that man who Narcissa is set up to go on a date with is really nice and wealthy. She probably won't have any trouble falling for him and creating a wonderful life without you. Why, I even think that Draco will grow rather fond of him."  
  
Lucius' eyes darkened with rage at the angel's words. "How dare you!"  
  
The angel just shrugged.  
  
"I will not let that happen! She is MY wife and he is MY son! Put me back in my body and I'll show you that I can change. I'll make sure that they grow to adore me! I'll do whatever it is that a husband and father does. I'll win them both back. No other man is going to take MY place!"  
  
"Alright!" shouted the angel, trying to stop Lucius from continuing his ranting. I'll put you back. But there is one thing that you need to know before you go."  
  
"Oh great. What is it?" Lucius said, fearing the worst.  
  
"I have to put you back a couple of seconds before the car hit you. Therefore you will only have a moment to jump away. If you get killed this time, it's permanent."  
  
Lucius nodded his head. He then braced himself as the angel prepared to snap his fingers.  
  
Lucius suddenly found himself in the middle of the road and staring at two bright headlights coming right at him. In an instant he jumped out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. There was a loud screech as the car came to a halt. Lucius stood up and brushed himself off. He felt as if he was coming out of a dream. Had it all been real? Had there been an angle that took him through time? But who cared. He was alive. He hadn't been run over by a "muggle and her car". He was standing there, alive and well.  
  
The young woman had jumped out of her car and ran over to where he was standing, somewhat in a daze.  
  
"Oh my god! Are you alright, sir?! I swear I don't see you! You just came out of nowhere! I didn't hit you did I?"  
  
Lucius looked down at the girl and shook his head. "No, I'm quite alright as you can see."  
  
A look of relief swept over the girl's features. "Can, can I drop you off some place?"  
  
"No thanks. I prefer to walk."  
  
"Um, okay. Be more careful though."  
  
Lucius just smiled at her as she turned to get back into her car. She quickly drove away and soon Lucius was left alone, in the dark. He looked down and saw that his wand was in his hand. He smiled and lifted the wand up and successfully apparated himself into his own house. He looked around and gave a satisfied grin right before he bounded up the stairs. The giant grandfather clock chimed four times and then the house went silent, except for the sound of Lucius rushing to his son's room.  
  
He quickly reached the door. He did not knock but instead burst into the room with a very loud boom as the doors flew open.  
  
Draco, who had been sound asleep a moment before, jumped so hard that he flew out of the bed and landed on the floor with a loud thud. "I didn't do it! I was framed!"  
  
Lucius walked quickly over to his son. Draco, still very disoriented, looked through sleep filled eyes as they figure of his father loomed over him. Draco became very frightened and backed away, grabbing a hold of the side table and pulling himself up. He was about to open his mouth to protest that whatever his father was mad about was not his fault when he suddenly found himself in the arms of his father in what could be described as a bear hug. Draco's whole body stiffened in shock. Finally Lucius pulled back and looked smilingly down at Draco. "I love you, son." He then playfully ruffled Draco's hair and then pushed the side of his head. "Go back to sleep." With that he turned to leave the room and to say hello to his wife.  
  
Draco just stared as the doors shut behind his father. After a minute he shook himself and climbed back into bed. Sleep, however, was not going to come that easily. His mind raced. "What was that? Whatever it was it certainly wasn't his father. Could it have been a bad dream, hallucination, something? Was his father toying with him?" The more he thought the more frightened he became. One question kept racing through his mind. "If that wasn't his father, which it most likely wasn't, then what was it?" 


	6. A Family Lunch

Author's Note: Hope you all liked Chapter Five. Was it okay? Did I make it believable? Was there enough there? Please let me know what you thought. Anyway, without further adieu, here is chapter six. Enjoy and please review.  
  
Alex Destine- Thanks for your review. I'm glad that you really like the story. Don't worry, there will be a lot more Draco and Lucius interaction in the upcoming chapters as Lucius tries to make up for his sixteen years of being a bad father to Draco. There's a bit of it in this chapter. Hope you like it. Thanks again  
  
Chapter Six: A Family Lunch  
  
The bright rays of sunlight that filtered through the glass panes of the large window fell upon Draco's still form and slowly woke him up with their warmth. Draco rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. He gazed out his window and saw the brilliant blue of the sky and a few wispy, white clouds. The grass seemed to be an unusually deep shade of green and he could see the birds fluttering about amongst the trees, chirping rather loudly to each other. All in all it looked as if it were a very bright and cheery morning. However, Draco couldn't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding.  
  
"Something is not right." He said to himself as he turned to see the clock that sat on his bedside table. "9:00! Father's going to KILL me!" Draco began to throw off the covers and scramble out of bed. Never before had his father allowed him to sleep in so late. He always had to be up and make it down to breakfast by 6:30 a.m. Just as he stood up from the bed a house elf appeared in the room.  
  
"Poppy! Why didn't you wake me up?! It's 9:00! Father's going to be mad!"  
  
"Begging your pardon, young master, but Master Malfoy instructed Poppy not wake the young master."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Poppy does not know why, young sir. Poppy was not told. Poppy was only instructed to not wake young master and to inform him upon his awakening that Master Malfoy is expecting Mistress and the young sir to meet him for lunch today."  
  
Draco stared blankly at the house elf who stood in the middle of his room, wringing her hands in front of her. Suddenly Draco began to remember the incident of only a few hours ago. Draco frowned. Now, in the morning light, the incident had seemed like a mere dream, a nightmare in fact. "It couldn't have happened." He thought to himself. "Father would never act like that. It had to be some sort of bad dream. After all, it was rather warm last night, and I always have strange or bad dreams when I'm hot. But what about this new, strange behavior?" His father had let him sleep in and was now requesting his wife and son to join him for lunch. "What is going on? Was that incident real? Is Father toying with me for some reason? Trying to mess with my head? Well, if he is it's definitely working."  
  
Just then his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Poppy's voice. "Is young master alright?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. That'll be all." With that, Poppy snapped her fingers and disappeared leaving a very confounded Draco to get himself ready for the day and whatever it may bring. But could anyone really be ready for what lay ahead for Draco and his mother?  
  
* * *  
  
Draco stepped through the doors of the restaurant that his father had  
designated for lunch and looked around for his parents who he was to meet there. It was a small, but elegant restaurant, dimly lit with candles that floated in the center of the tables, and was Narcissa's favorite place to eat. As Draco entered he had an anxious feeling inside of his stomach. He had no idea what to expect considering the two strange incidences of that morning. He had been going over and over them in his mind for the past few hours, trying to make sense of them. He had wanted to talk to his mother about it, but she had been away all morning, probably shopping, so he was left alone to try and sort things out. He had dismissed the first incident as just being a nightmare, but he couldn't seem to explain away why his father had allowed him to sleep in and why he wanted his family to meet him for lunch. It wasn't a birthday, anniversary, or holiday after all.  
  
Before Draco's mind could muse any further, he spotted his parents sitting at a table in one of the corners of the restaurant. He took a deep breath and then began to walk over to where they sat. When he was but a few feet from the table he stopped suddenly and his eyes widened in shock. There his father sat with a large smile plastered on his face. Draco had never seen his father really smile before. He had always thought that perhaps the muscles in his father's face were simply incapable of moving his lips into a smile. But it wasn't just the smile that made Draco's eyes widen in surprise; he was completely taken aback when he saw his father's hand resting overtop of his mother's. He had never seen his father being openly affectionate towards his mother, so this small gesture was enough to make Draco think that he must still be stuck in some type of bad dream. Either that or he had entered an alternate universe.  
  
Narcissa turned her head as she noticed Draco standing there. Her eyes looked a bit nervous and confused and her body seemed a bit stiff, her small and delicate hand slightly twitching under Lucius larger and stronger hand. Her lips twisted up into a slight smile as she saw her son standing there.  
  
"Ah, Draco, you're here." Lucius said as he looked away from his wife and noticed his son. His smile did not leave his face which made Draco feel even more disconcerted. After a moment of Draco just standing there, staring at his father Lucius said with a slight laugh, "What are you, a living statue? Go ahead and sit down." This laugh made Draco's eyes grew a bit wider, but his father did not notice this as he quickly took his seat to the right of Lucius and picked up the menu and began glancing at the wide variety of delicious meals that were available.  
  
Lucius picked up his wine glass and looked over at his son and before taking a sip asked, "So, how has your day been so far?"  
  
Draco's head shot up and he looked nervously between his father and mother. "Why? What did you hear?"  
  
"What do you mean? Can't a father ask his son how his day has been?"  
  
Draco looked over at his mother for help, but she could only look at him with a sympathetic look.  
  
"Um.It's just that you've never asked me that before. I just thought that maybe you heard something and I was going to get into trouble." Draco muttered as he placed the menu down.  
  
"Why? Is there something that I should know about?" Lucius said as he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Um.No." Draco replied as he looked everywhere but at his father. He never was a very good liar.  
  
To Draco's great relief his father just let it go at that.  
  
"Do you have anything planned for today, Draco?"  
  
"No." Draco said as he looked at his father with an expression of mixed confusion and suspicion.  
  
"Good, because I have decided to take the rest of the day off from the ministry and spend it with you and your mother."  
  
Draco's eyes nearly popped out and his mother choked as she was taking a sip of her wine when Lucius had said this.  
  
"You are going to spend the rest of the day with us?" Narcissa said in a very small voice, still trying to recover from the wine going down the wrong passage in her throat.  
  
"Yes. I think that the ministry could do without me for the rest of the day."  
  
"But, isn't there a lot of work to do? Isn't it kind of important?" Narcissa added.  
  
"Oh, I think that they can handle it. Besides, I think that it is about time that I pay attention to what's really important." As he finished he looked at his wife and then his son and his face held an amused expression as he beheld the looks of utter shock and confusion on their faces.  
  
He then turned away from them in order to summon a waiter. Draco looked at his mother, pointed to his father, and mouthed silently, "What's up with him?"  
  
Narcissa shrugged her shoulders slightly and shook her head in bewilderment. She then took a rather large gulp of her wine. Lucius turned around and picked up his wine glass again, his face still bearing an amused expression. It was kind of fun watching his wife and son trying to make sense of his new behavior.  
  
The waiter came over a moment later and took their orders. In only a short time their meals were on the table and they began to eat.  
  
After several minutes of silent eating Lucius spoke, "Oh, I am sorry, Draco, for having woken you up so early this morning."  
  
Draco, who had just taken a rather large bite of his Fettuccini, began to cough rather violently. He forced down his mouthful of food, still coughing, and reached for his glass of water.  
  
"You alright there, son?" Lucius asked.  
  
Draco merely nodded, but was he alright? "It happened!" his mind screamed. "The incident did happen! What the HELL is going on?!"  
  
"I just swallowed wrong." He finally said as he tried to breathe in some air. He smiled faintly at his mother who had a worried expression on her face and took another sip of water. "God, I feel like I'm in, what was that muggle show called? Oh, yes, the Twilight Zone." he thought to himself. 


	7. Plans for the Day

Well, once again, sorry for the delay in updating the story. I know I promised you guys the chapter a few days ago, but it was really hard to write. I don't know why really. Every time I'd write it I wouldn't be happy with the way it was, so it's been changed several times. Anyway, so here is Chapter Seven. Enjoy and let me know what you think. And, as always, I am open to any suggestions that you might have.  
  
Wow! I've gotten so many reviews! Thanks so much. Here's some rather long- winded acknowledgements, so if your are just here to read the chapter you might want to scroll down a bit to get to it. It's there, I promise.  
  
Acknowledgements:  
  
Aeryn Alexander: Thanks for reviewing chapter five. That was a hard one to write. Glad you liked it. He was quite a prick wasn't he? It's going to take a while before Draco and Narcissa believe that Lucius is genuine. They are going to be very suspicious and wary about him for a long time. Thanks for the suggestions. I liked your picnic idea and used it. I'm definitely having Lucius play Quidditch with Draco. In fact, Lucius is going to run Draco ragged with a bunch of father/son activities. If you have any further suggestions, let me know. Thanks again.  
  
Athena: Thank you for your lovely review. Please, suggest away. I'm always glad to hear what other people think should happen in the story and it helps a lot. Thanks again.  
  
Mimi: Here's more of the story. Glad you enjoy it so much. It's a lot of fun to write it and knowing that you all love it really helps me to continue with it.  
  
f0xyness39: Thanks for your reviewing. I'm glad you like how I characterized them. I figured I'd do something different from most of the stories out there. Something light and fun. Hm.Disney World. Interesting idea. May use it. If I do I'm going to have either Draco or Lucius punch Mickey Mouse out. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and Mickey, but I hate those people in the costumes. For some reason they always creep me out. They get a little touchy sometimes, you know, arm around your shoulders, hugs and what-not. Lucius and Draco don't strike me as the touchy-feely kind so Mickey gets slugged.  
  
Poppy: Yeah, the story reminds me of the Christmas Carol as well. I realized that as I was doing chapter five, the one where the angel shows Lucius how horrible he was. I love the Christmas Carol. I have so many different versions of the movie, from the Muppets to a very good one with Patrick Stewart, and have read the book several times. A Harry Potter version of A Christmas Carol would be funny.  
  
Mara: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you like the concept of the story. Much different than anything I've read. I love the Malfoys but it is so hard to find a really good fic with them that isn't angst filled. I like some angst stories but really hate it when they involve incest and rape. I'm not into that kind of stuff, so I decided to write my own fic that doesn't have any of that stuff. You'll notice that if you select genre: Humor, Rating: PG-13, Characters: Draco, Lucius, that my story is the only one that will show up. Thanks again for the review.  
  
Bahamut Epyon: Thank you for your review. I love it when people tell me how much they like the story. Makes me feel really bad when I don't update it for a few days. Thanks again.  
  
Kippinator- Thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely have them go to the opera and a birthday party for Draco would be really funny. A snowball fight will happen. I'm not sure if it should be during Christmas Break, as that is a long way from when the story starts, or whether they should go to Iceland to visit Draco's grandmother and go to the mountains. Either way, it will be funny. What do you think should happen?  
  
Petriebird18: I love Lucius and Narcissa as a couple as well. A candlelight dinner will be coming up and poor Draco is going to get kicked out of the house for the whole night. Wink. There will be some cute scenes as Narcissa begins to relax around Lucius and realizes that he really has changed. Thanks for the suggestions.  
  
Youko Gingitsune: Awwww! Thank you for your great review. It makes me feel so happy that you have put me on your favorites list. Thanks for your suggestions. Narcissa is most definitely getting chocolate form Lucius. However, this is not necessarily a good thing as it will prove to distress her more than make her happy. She can not control herself when it comes to chocolate and there is this little thing called weight gain. Oh, and did I mention that certain flowers make her sneeze rather violently? Thanks again for the suggestions and if you have any more, let me know.  
  
Whew!! Now that that is over, here's the chapter. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter Seven: Plans for the Day  
  
The family lunch lasted for a good hour and was, to Draco and his mother, the longest and most excruciating hour that they had ever experienced. The first fifteen minutes consisted of Lucius trying to start small conversations with his family, but after a short time he realized that he wasn't going to get more than slight nods or one-word answers out of his wife and son and decided to give up trying. Lucius noticed that Narcissa and Draco would exchange confused and wary glances at each other now and then. He smiled slightly to himself as he looked at the two them, wondering what was going on in their heads. The rest of the family lunch was then eaten in silence, which was something that Narcissa and Draco were quite accustomed to and really much more comfortable with.  
  
When Lucius ate with his family they were usually silent. At breakfast every morning Lucius would be hidden behind the newspaper or reading some parchments. Now and then he would mumble an angry comment under his breath about how the Ministry was weakening, the ridiculousness of allowing witches and wizards with less than pure blood to attend Hogwarts, or the absurdity of some new Muggle protection law. Once in a while he would throw down what he was reading in a fit of anger and begin lecturing Draco about the importance of pureblood and how far below Muggles were to people like the Malfoys. He had done this even when Draco was a baby and couldn't understand what his father was saying. Little Draco would just sit there in his high chair and stare at his father's face, mesmerized by the fast movements of his lips as he spoke and the sound coming from them. Most of the time little Draco would fall asleep after several minutes of the lecture which made Lucius slam his hand upon the table, startling the poor baby, and demand, "Are you listening to me BOY?!" There had been one instance where Lucius became very angry as his son had begun crying after he had slammed his hand down upon the table. He moved his face menacingly closer to Draco's and hissed, "Shut up, boy. Stop crying! No son of mine will cry like a little girl!" In response to this a very distraught Draco launched a spoon of baby food into his father's angry face. Draco stopped crying the instant that the green substance had hit its target. He then began to giggle and through another spoonful of his food at his father. Lucius said nothing, he simply took a cloth napkin, stood up, and began to walk out of the dining room, mopping his face, and trying to remain as dignified as possible. Draco giggled uncontrollably and, as soon as her husband had left the room, Narcissa joined her son in the laughter.  
  
However, the lectures did not stop. As he got older Draco had learned to just tune it out as it was the same speech over and over again. He had memorized the right times to nod his head and make some sort of noise of agreement, thus making his father believe he was listening.  
  
It was on very rare occasions that Lucius would eat lunch with his family and even rarer still dinner. If he wasn't at the office in the ministry, then he was off at some Death Eater meeting or making shady deals in Knockturn Alley. He wouldn't return to the manor until it was rather late and either would have already eaten or just order a house elf to fix him something. So, it was very strange to Narcissa and Draco when Lucius had said that he wanted them to meet him for lunch. Stranger still when he tried now and then to begin a conversation that didn't involve a lecture on maintaining the Malfoy honor and preserving the pure blood.  
  
The Malfoys had finally finished lunch and were waiting on their deserts when Lucius decided that it was time to break the silence and reveal to his wife and son what he was planning for the rest of the day. He took a sip from his wine glass and then leaned forward to set it down upon the table, clearing his throat while doing so.  
  
"I suppose that now would be a good time to let you know what we will be doing this afternoon and evening."  
  
Narcissa and Draco looked at each other and then over at Lucius with expressions that clearly showed that they were a bit apprehensive, having no idea what to expect. The right corner of Lucius' mouth curled up slightly in amusement as he noticed their expressions. This made mother and son even more nervous. At that moment the waiter came and set down three plates in front of them, each containing a piece of white cake with chocolate swirls. The three of them picked up their dessert forks and began to cut into their cakes.  
  
"I decided that we should go out for a ride together this afternoon across the estate and perhaps to that lake that you always used to like to go to, Narcissa."  
  
Both Draco and Narcissa froze, forks in mid-air, and stared at Lucius. Narcissa stared in shock at her husband. She couldn't believe that he remembered about the lake. It was her favorite spot to go to, but Lucius had not gone there with her for years. Not since before Draco had been born.  
  
"I figure it has been a long time since I've ridden the horses with you two."  
  
"You've never ridden with us." Draco said.  
  
"Hm. It's been longer than I thought."  
  
The Malfoy estate had a very elegant stable on the grounds that were filled with some of the most beautiful and elegant horses one had ever laid eyes on. It had been a requirement for Draco to learn how to ride and to ride well. He had been placed upon a horse before he could even walk and as the years progressed he grew quite fond of it and rather good. Other than watching muggle movies, riding the horses across the estate became a favorite pastime for Narcissa and her son. Lucius had ridden with Narcissa a few times and they had always wound up going to a very large and scenic lake that was located not far from the estate. However, after Draco was born, he and Narcissa never went riding together and he never joined his wife and son on their little jaunts around the grounds. He would ride once in a while, but always alone and only to keep his horse fit and manageable. His horse was quite the demon horse and was impossible to ride. Only Lucius knew how to handle him, thus this was the reason why he would go ride on occasions.  
  
"Then I thought that we could stay there for a while and have a picnic supper and watch the sun set."  
  
That did it. Narcissa dropped her fork which fell with a loud 'chink' upon her plate. Her face paled slightly and she reached out for her glass of wine, she needed a strong drink right then, but the wine was the only thing available. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her husband. Was this the same man? The Lucius that she knew would never voluntarily participate in something like a picnic dinner and watching the sun set much less suggest them. What had happened to the man? Was he ill?  
  
"Narcissa, dear, are you okay?"  
  
That did it again. A term of endearment! What was going on?! She drained her glass in one gulp and set it down upon the table with a slightly shaking hand.  
  
"Mother, are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, dear, I'm fine." She smiled slightly at her son and then turned to her husband who was looking at her with a concerned expression upon his face.  
  
"I'm fine." She said again. "I think that it's just a bit too warm in here. Let's finish our desserts so that we can leave."  
  
The three of them returned back to their cakes. They were soon finished and Lucius asked the waiter for the bill. The bill came and Lucius began fishing out some galleons from the money pouch in his pocket. Lucius paid the waiter and threw a couple of coins upon the table for a tip. They then began to stand up. Lucius quickly went to his wife's side and put one hand on the back of her chair and with the other, took a hold of her hand and helped her to rise. Narcissa was startled and looked wide- eyed at her husband  
  
"I just thought that you might need some help up in case you were still feeling unwell."  
  
"I- I'm fine. Really." She stammered as she still stared at her husband. Lucius then smiled a rather impish smile and kissed the back of her hand. He then dropped it and began to make his way towards the door. Narcissa stood in utter shock and stared down at her hand. She then looked up at Draco, who wore an equally shocked expression, and lifted her hand a little higher showing it to Draco in a gesture that said, "What the hell was that?!"  
  
Draco shook his head and shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I don't know."  
  
"Narcissa? Draco? Are you two coming?" Lucius said as he had realized that they were not following him and turned around to see them staring at each other with expressions of complete confusion upon their faces.  
  
Narcissa and Draco mentally shook themselves and turned to follow Lucius out the door. Lucius turned and a smile began to stretch across his face. If he had realized before just how funny their reactions would be to this kind of change in behavior he would have done it a long time ago. 


	8. Mother, I'm scared

Hey guys, sorry about the delay in updating. Um, I'm not to sure about this chapter or the last one. I feel as if my writing is kind of off. I don't know, maybe it's my imagination, but a I don't feel like they are anywhere near as good as my previous chapter. Maybe, I've just got too much dialogue. Please, let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for improvement, PLEASE let me know. Happy reading.  
  
Chapter Eight: Mother, I'm scared  
  
"Mr. Winscourt is waiting for you in the parlor, sir."  
  
Hamilton, a rather ancient looking butler, had greeted the Malfoys with the news of a visitor the moment that they had entered the manor. There was no mistaking the rather annoyed look that Lucius gave the butler at the news of being disturbed by an unwanted guest. For a brief moment, Draco could see a spark of the old Lucius flicker across his face. Hamilton had noticed this look as well and was prepared to receive the vicious anger that Lucius Malfoy usually presented after having received unwelcome news. But several moments had passed and there was nothing. The usual explosion didn't occur. The old man, looked almost nervously between his master and his mistress, unsure of what to make of Lucius' silence.  
  
"Very well, Hammilton. That will be all." Lucius gave the butler a quick wave of dismissal.  
  
"Very good, sir." Hammilton gave a stiff bow to Lucius and then gave a short nod to Draco and Narcissa before he turned to leave the entrance hall.  
  
Lucius let out a sigh and turned to see his wife and son. "You two will have to excuse me I'm afraid. This shouldn't take long. My guess is that Mr. Winscourt is only here to ask for another sizable donation to St. Mungo's. As if I haven't given enough already." As Lucius continued to speak he began to sound more and more like himself; disgusted with the idea of giving money away in order to help people who didn't even know. "I swear, once you've donated one time those leeches attach themselves to you and aren't happy until they have sucked a you dry of every last Knut. I." He quickly stopped and shook himself out of his slight ranting. He then walked the two strides to his wife and, as he planted a kiss on her cheek, said, "I will be as quick as possible." With that he quickly made is way to the parlor.  
  
Narcissa, who was once again very shocked by her husband's action, grabbed a hold of Draco's arm and began to usher him up the stairs, all the while keeping a wary eye on Lucius' retreating form as if he were a snake coiled and ready to strike. Mother and son rushed up the stairs and to their room. Draco quickly closed the doors behind him and leaned back against them. Narcissa sat down upon the overly-flowery couch, her slightly shaky hands folded in her lap.  
  
"Mother, has Father gone crazy?"  
  
"I..I'm not sure, dear."  
  
Draco walked over and sat down on the couch next to his mother. "What's going on with him? He's been acting rather.um.well, odd today."  
  
Narcissa just gave her son a look that said, "You think?!"  
  
"Do you think he's just messing with us? You know, like a joke?"  
  
"No, that's not something your Father would do. That would require a sense of humor."  
  
"Maybe he's trying to freak us out."  
  
"No." Narcissa replied as she shook her head, a look of bewilderment and concentration upon her face.  
  
There were a few minutes of silence as the two of them were trying to figure out reasons for Lucius' sudden change of heart. Draco leaned back and laid his head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"Mother," he began in a quiet tone, "do you think that this new behavior has something to do with the Dark Lord?"  
  
There was a moment of silence as Narcissa thought about what Draco had suggested.  
  
" For all I know it very well could be. Voldemort was rather angry last night and your Father was detained till very early this morning."  
  
"Yeah, maybe Voldemort placed a curse upon Father."  
  
"Yes, perhaps."  
  
"A curse that makes Father act nice, and caring, and.and." Draco's voice trailed off as what he was saying began to sink in. Both him and his mother shook their heads at the same time and said, "Nah." After all, why would the Dark Lord, the personification of evil himself, make Lucius act loving towards his family? The idea was just too ridiculous.  
  
"What could it be then?" Narcissa asked.  
  
Draco's brow furrowed in deep concentration and after a few minutes of silent thinking, he snapped his fingers and shouted, making his mother jump. "I've got it! Aliens!"  
  
Narcissa's look of interest on her face quickly changed to one of annoyance and she rolled her eyes at her son's ridiculous outcry.  
  
"No, no, no, wait. Maybe he was abducted by aliens and the man downstairs is really an alien disguised as Father?! But why would they need to become Father?" Draco said more to himself. "Wait! I'll bet that they are trying to gain control of the ministry or the Death Eaters, huh! Or both! And who better to become than Father?!"  
  
"Honey, I don't think.."  
  
"Or maybe," Draco continued, ignoring his mother, "he's some kind of con man slash serial killer disguised as Father in order to knock us off and gain control of our money and the estate! No one would ever know the difference."  
  
"Draco."  
  
"Perhaps this whole "being nice and caring" thing is just a way to get us off our guard."  
  
"Draco!"  
  
"HUH!" Draco gasped, "Maybe he's possessed?!"  
  
"Draco!!!!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Honey, I think you've been watching far too many horror and alien movies. They've got you paranoid."  
  
"Well then, how do you explain the odd behavior?"  
  
"I don't know. But I am sure it is nothing like what you're thinking. Just let me handle him. I'll find out what's going on. Maybe he's just ill or hit his head last night, I don't know. But until I find out what exactly is going on, perhaps you should stay out of his way. You know, don't do or say anything that might provoke him."  
  
"What? Provoke him into hugging me again?"  
  
"He hugged you?!"  
  
"Yes. This morning right when he got home he came into my room and hugged me." Draco gave an involuntary shudder.  
  
"Oh, Draco, I'm sorry." Narcissa said as she placed an arm around her son's shoulders. "That must have been rather disturbing for you."  
  
"It was." Draco nodded. "Just like this whole day has been."  
  
"I know, but I promise I will find out what's going on. Just remember, try to stay out of his way. Everything will be fine though. I hope." She muttered the last part under her breath so that Draco could not hear.  
  
Draco nodded his head slightly.  
  
"Well," Narcissa said, "we should perhaps get ready."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For the ride of course."  
  
Draco looked at his mother as if she had suddenly gone completely insane and was doing cartwheels around the room.  
  
"We're not seriously going out riding with that man are we?! Who knows what he'll do to us when we get out to the lake! It's a very secluded area and well, no one will be around to hear our screams should he decided to kill us. And what a perfect place to dispose of the bodies! They'd probably never find us!"  
  
"That does it! No more horror movies for you. Now go and get yourself ready."  
  
"But, Mother."  
  
"Go!" Narcissa was standing and pointing towards the door. Draco reluctantly stood up and headed towards the door, closely followed by his mother. Just as he touched the handle with his hand he suddenly turned around to look at her.  
  
"Mother, I know that good Malfoys are never supposed to show weakness, but I have to tell you that I'm, well, almost afraid. I've never seen Father like this. It's really unnerving you know."  
  
Narcissa looked at her son compassionately. "I know, dear. I'm pretty nervous myself not knowing what to expect from him. But I promise it WILL be okay." She placed a reassuring hand on her son's shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek.  
  
Draco nodded and gave a weak smile. He then proceeded to open the doors. He allowed his mother to exit first and then followed, closing and locking the doors behind him.  
  
"Now, we should hurry and get dressed. Your father might be upset if he finds us unready."  
  
"Either that or, due to this really abnormal behavior, he may just grab us and give us a huge bear hug."  
  
Narcissa laughed at what her son had said. Draco just smiled at his mother's amusement. These had been the first real smiles that they had displayed all day and it felt good. 


	9. Riding Horses and Skipping Rocks

kippinator- Thank you for your review. Glad you think it's funny. I try.  
  
Youko Gingitsune- Thank you for reviewing. It is always nice to know that people are enjoying the story.  
  
Fire 'N' Ice- Yeah, Lucius is usually made out to be a real brutal bastard in most stories. I thought I'd change that and perhaps give my Lucius a few fans.  
  
Elendor- Thanks for reading and reviewing. Let me know when you have your fic up because I would like to read it. There really aren't too many nice Lucius fics out there.  
  
Thank you all again, and please keep the reviews coming. I check my e-mail several times a day just to see if I have any reviews. It's like Christmas. Love you all.  
  
Author's Note: There might be some delays in my updates because I am leaving on Sunday to Connecticut where I am working as a counselor for the next seven weeks at a horse camp. I just may not have access to a computer, GASP!, so I will have to snail mail my chapters to my sister so that she can put them up. So don't worry, I'll still be working on the fic. It's just too much fun to set aside for seven weeks. I'm going to try to get one more chapter done before I leave. Keep your fingers crossed.  
  
Chapter Nine: Riding Horses and Skipping Rocks  
  
The clip-clopping of hooves against cobblestones resounded loudly throughout the open courtyard located in the center of the Malfoy's stables. Each horse was led by a servant to the middle of the courtyard where they stopped and awaited their rider's approach. The servant who held Lucius' large, black Andalusian stallion, Diablo, was having a particularly difficult time as the horse pranced excitedly in circles attempting to break free from the servant's grasp.  
  
Draco walked up to where his huge, blood-bay, Hanoverian gelding, Rascala, was quietly standing. He reached up with one hand and began to stroke the horse's massive head and with the other hand, offered Rascala a sugar cube, of which he was very fond. He then began to the stroke horse's neck and made his way over to the shoulder where he was preparing to mount. Draco suddenly turned towards the servant who held his horse and whispered,  
  
"Tom."  
  
"Yes, sir." Tom answered as he came around from the other side of the horse and looked at Draco questioningly.  
  
"Look, I know that this is going to sound a little odd," Draco stopped and glanced warily over to where his father was mounting Diablo and then looked back at the servant. "but if by any chance my father returns home alone or none of us return at all, send a search party to the lake."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"In fact, if we're not back by 9:00, please," Draco's voice faltered from one of command to one of an almost desperate plea, "come look for us."  
  
Tom's face held an expression of complete bewilderment. He could not understand what his young master was on about. Sure, he would admit that Lucius accompanying his wife and son on a ride across the estate was, in fact, rather odd, but the look of nervousness on Draco's face and his strange request was really baffling.  
  
"Oh well," he thought to himself. "this family has always been a bit off." He then gave Draco a leg up onto his horse and let go of the reins.  
  
"Remember, the lake." Draco whispered as he gathered the reins and urged Rascala forward to join his mother.  
  
Narcissa looked at her son disapprovingly. She had seen and heard Draco whisper something to the servant and she didn't have to take three guesses to know what it was.  
  
"What?" Draco asked innocently as he noticed the look upon her face.  
  
Narcissa didn't say anything but continued to stare at her son.  
  
"What?! Hey, c'mon, it doesn't hurt to be prepared."  
  
"Prepared for what?"  
  
Draco jumped and spun around to see his father right beside him.  
  
"Um, uh," Draco stuttered, trying to think of a way out of this. "Uh, prepared for potions class this year." Okay, that was really lame, Draco thought to himself. "Mother says I'm studying too much. Says I shouldn't worry about it so much. But I know that it's going to be a tuff year so I just want to get a jump on it. Right, mother?"  
  
"Right, dear." Narcissa said as she tried not to roll her eyes and laugh.  
  
"Well, good for you, son." Lucius said as he reached over and patted Draco on the shoulder which earned him probably the fiftieth shocked look of the day. "I'm glad to see that you are taking real initiative with your school work. Narcissa, don't discourage the boy. Instead you should encourage him with his studious behavior. Who knows how long it will last." Lucius began to walk his horse forward and out of the courtyard.  
  
"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Draco said as he and his mother began to follow the prancing horse in front of them. Narcissa looked over at her shaken son and placed a hand upon his shoulder.  
  
"It will be alright." She whispered. They then urged their horses into a quick trot in order to catch up with Diablo.  
  
* * *  
  
The late afternoon sun glinted off the water of the lake making it  
sparkle brilliantly. The deep blue of the water's surface contrasted sharply with the bright green of the grass which covered its banks. A gentle breeze blew through the trees that grew in thick clusters round the edges of the lake, making the leaves rustle slightly.  
  
The three Malfoys were quietly walking their horses on a path through a thickly wooded area when they came upon a large clearing which sloped slightly down to the water's edge and contained one very large tree. By that tree a group of house elves could be seen, busily working on laying out a large blanket and setting about preparing a fine supper for their masters.  
  
"Ah, here we are." Lucius said as he looked around the clearing. "It has been a long time since I've been here, but it hasn't changed one bit." The horses walked further on until they reached the gathering of house elves. A few, very shabby looking elves scurried forward to the sides of the horses as the Malfoys prepared to dismount. Lucius quickly got down from his horse and went over to aid his wife in dismounting. Narcissa stared down at Lucius' outstretched arms, unsure of what to do. After a few moments of indecision Narcissa slid into her husband's strong arms, still staring unsurely into his face. A few moments passed and they still stood there in each others' arms, neither one breaking eye contact.  
  
"Uh, Mother?" Draco said as he had grown quite uncomfortable with the scene that was before him.  
  
Narcissa quickly let go of Lucius and backed away from him. She then began to make her way over to the blanket. As Narcissa walked away, Lucius was sure that her cheeks were growing pinker than usual. The house elves took the reins of the horses and quickly set about taking the saddles off them. Lucius strode over to the large blanket and settled himself down upon it and leaned back against the tree, looking at the back of his wife who sat rigidly, hands clamped together in her lap, eyes staring fixedly at the lake before her. Draco sat protectively down by his mother who had become slightly flushed. Silence fell upon the trio as the house elves scurried around them. Suddenly a piercing squeak could be heard. The Malfoys turned their heads to see the sight of the poor, unfortunate house elf, who had taken a hold of Diablo, being drug through the grass as the horse decided to take off at a fast trot across the clearing.  
  
Narcissa and Draco began to laugh at the comical site. The house elf was trying in vain to gain its footing in order to attempt to stop the massive black horse. Several other house elves were running and squealing behind him trying to get the horse to stop, but this only served to make Diablo go faster. Soon horse and house elf disappeared into the woods, but the sound of twigs cracking and muffled squeaks could clearly be heard.  
  
Narcissa and Draco suddenly fell silent as they heard the sound of someone else laughing with them. They turned to see Lucius chuckling away. Draco's jaw dropped involuntarily. Never before had he seen his father laugh. The only thing that could shock Draco more than seeing his father laugh would be to see him cry, and if he did suddenly cry, Draco was going to strongly recommend a priest to perform an exorcism.  
  
"I don't know what I'm going to do with that horse." Lucius said laughingly. He then looked over at his wife's and son's gaping expressions and laughed a little more. He soon stopped and began to stand up. "Well, we still have a little while before the food is ready. How about we go for a walk around the lake?" He held his hand out to Narcissa who hesitatingly took it. Lucius pulled her to her feet and began to walk towards the lake. Narcissa and Draco hung back for a moment.  
  
"This is it, mother." Draco whispered, "He'll take us to some secluded spot and kill us. He'll dispose of our bodies and then come back here and get rid of the elves. He'll probably then make up some story where our horses went crazy and disappeared with us."  
  
"Draco, honestly!" Narcissa exclaimed. "I just may take away all of your tv privileges. You really are too obsessed with it."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
Narcissa rolled her eyes and began to follow her husband. Draco quickly followed. There was no way that he was leaving his mother alone with that man.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun dipped further down in the horizon, causing the sky to turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and pink. It was almost 8:00 and the Malfoys were nearing home. The horses walked lazily along. Even Diablo had fallen into a slower, rhythmic step with the other two horses.  
  
For Lucius the picnic at the lake went rather well. He had spent a good hour walking with his wife and son before supper. None of them said very much, but the silence had been nice as they meandered their way around the lake. They would stop every so often to gaze across the water's surface.  
  
After about fifteen minutes of walking Draco had become bored and began to pick up smooth, flat rocks to skim across the lake. He had never been very good at it, only able to make the rock skip about twice. After several minutes of his rock throwing, Lucius had come up beside him with a rock in his hand. Draco looked at the rock in his father's hand curiously. Lucius gave a half smile and proceeded to show his son how to really skip a rock. He let his fly and it skip several times before disappearing under the water's surface. He then told Draco to do it just like he showed him. Draco gave his father an odd look, but did as he was told. To his surprise his rock skipped five times before coming to a halt. Lucius gave a satisfied nod and turned around and walked back to his wife.  
  
"Okay, so that was weird." Draco said to himself. Then he gave a short laugh. "But then again, has there been anything today that wasn't weird? At least it doesn't seem like he's going to try to kill us."  
  
After their walk the three of them sat down to a very delicious dinner, during which practically nothing was said, being to busy eating. Lucius was a bit disappointed with the lack of conversation with his wife and son, but he expected that that was due to the fact that they were probably still in shock over the change that had come over him. He figured that it would just take some time before they would be comfortable enough to really talk with him.  
  
Soon after dinner had been eaten it was decided that they should head back home, not really wishing to have to ride in the dark. So now they were approaching the stables. Lucius looked over at his son who was a couple of steps behind him. He smiled slightly as he saw the exhausted look on his son's face. Draco's eyes in fact were about half closed as his horse plodded along. It had been a long day and Draco was thoroughly worn out.  
  
The last rays of sunlight disappeared as Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa walked into the manor. They began to climb their way up the stairs that led to their bed chambers.  
  
"So," Lucius said as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Do you feel up for a game of chess?"  
  
"WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?!" Draco's mind screamed. "No, I think that I'll just take a shower and head to bed. I'm really tired."  
  
"Very well. Tomorrow then. Goodnight, Draco."  
  
Draco just nodded and headed towards his room. Lucius entered his bed chamber and saw Narcissa pouring herself a glass of Brandy.  
  
"Brandy, my dear? You don't usually drink that."  
  
"I know, but I just felt like some tonight." Narcissa began to swirl the brownish liquid around in her glass.  
  
"Well, Draco's gone off to bed so it looks like it is just you and I tonight."  
  
Narcissa stopped swirling as soon as those words fell upon her ears. She then lifted the glass to her lips and drained its contents in one single gulp. 


	10. Bumps, Bruises, and Late Night Apologies

Authors Note: I'm Back!!!!!!!!! Hey guys, I am so sorry that it has taken so long to get this chapter up but things were very busy at horse camp. I hardly ever got time to just sit and write and when I did I was never happy with what I had produced. I had to do a lot of re-writing, but now it is finally done and I hope you enjoy it. The next chapter should be up shortly.  
  
Oh, and thanks to all who reviewed. I really appreciate them and hope that they will keep coming. I also appreciate your patience and so, without further adieu, here is the next chapter.  
  
Chapter Ten: Bumps, Bruises, and Late Night Apologies  
  
"Mum, are you sure that this is a good idea?" Draco said in a hushed voice as he and Narcissa approached Lucius' study. "I mean, he'll probably say 'no'. He always says 'no'. And what if he gets angry by my asking again?"  
  
"Then we shall put all blame upon me as it was I who put you up to this."  
  
Draco stopped short, his eyes wide. "No, Mother, I won't let you! There's no telling what that crazy man might do!"  
  
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Draco, your father is not crazy."  
  
"Well he's definitely not sane."  
  
Narcissa looked at her son for a moment trying to figure out what to say to him that would sound believable. "Draco, he's just been in a.well.a," Narcissa looked as is she were searching for the perfect word. "He's just in a good mood." She knew that Draco would not accept this explanation; in fact, she didn't even buy it herself.  
  
"Exactly!" Draco exclaimed as if Narcissa had just figured out the solution to a very difficult problem. "He's been in a 'good mood'. Sure Father has been in good moods before. Like that time when he stole those ancient Dark Arts scrolls right from under Fudge's nose and the Ministry was completely baffled for weeks. And then there was the time at the Quidditch World Cup when the Death Eaters wreaked havoc upon those muggles. Of course, I think that the alcohol probably helped with that. Oh! And then there was the day that Father heard that Voldemort had come back; he was in a really good mood then. But there is no cause for the mood that he is in now. Why is he acting so..so..nice? Don't you find it rather strange and somewhat disturbing?"  
  
"Of course I do, but what am I supposed to do about it? Even though we don't understand it he is in a good mood, so we might as well take advantage of it while it lasts. This is probably the best chance you'll get, so go in there and ask him."  
  
Narcissa gave her son a slight push towards the door of the closed door of the study. Draco gave his mother one last unsure look, took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door. After a moment he heard his father's muffled 'come in' and then entered the room looking as if he were a man walking to his own execution and not a son going to ask his father for a favor.  
  
Earlier that morning after breakfast Draco had received his monthly Quidditch magazine in the post. Within it Draco had found an advertisement for the most amazing racing broom he had ever laid eyes upon. The Viper 3000 was sleeker, faster, more easily maneuverable, and much more expensive than the Firebolt. The Viper was the perfect broom to replace his old Nimbus 2001. For years Draco had been trying to get his father to buy him a new broom, a broom with which he could finally beat Harry Potter to the Snitch. However, for some reason unknown to Draco, Lucius had continually denied all requests for a new broom. He would not offer any explanation, but simply said 'no' and would not tolerate any arguments.  
  
Draco had given up on trying to get his father to allow him a new racing broom, but on this particular morning things were a bit different. He had shown his mother the ad and she had seen the longing in his eyes as he stared at the picture. It was Narcissa who had decided to chance asking Lucius once again for a replacement broom. Due to the fact that Lucius had continued his odd behavior, Narcissa thought that they should risk asking Lucius one more time. Draco was very reluctant as he was not sure how his father would react. Narcissa, a bit nervous herself, had eventually talked her son into it. So now, here they were. They had entered Lucius' study. There was no turning back now.  
  
Lucius looked up from the mound of parchments that sat on his desk as he heard the door of his study being opened. He placed his quill upon the desk and waited as Draco slowly approached, looking back at his mother, who had stayed by the door, every now and then with rather nervous, almost pleading look. Lucius leaned back in his chair and waited. He was quite curious at what his son could possibly have to say that would make him look so apprehensive.  
  
After what seemed like a very long time, Draco finally reached the front of his father's desk. He stared down at the parchments that were spread across the desk's top, not really wanting to look his father in the eye.  
  
"Well?" Lucius asked bemusedly.  
  
"Father," Draco looked up at his father. He then handed the magazine, folded so as to show the advertisement, to his father who took it. "Father, that's the new Viper 3000. If I could get that broom then I'd finally be able to beat that Harry Potter to the Snitch and win the House Cup for the Slytherins. The Vipers are faster than the Firebolts, which is what Potter has, and." Draco trailed off as he saw the frown that grew on his father's face.  
  
Lucius looked at the picture of the Viper for several moments and then up at his son who had stopped talking. "So, you think that fast, expensive brooms are all that there is to winning at Quidditch? You think that just by getting a faster broom you'll be able to win every Quidditch game?"  
  
"No." Draco said, shaking his head vehemently.  
  
"Draco, there is a lot more to Quidditch than just fast brooms."  
  
"I know." Draco replied almost desperately.  
  
"Skill is involved. A truly skilled Seeker could catch the Snitch no matter what type of broom he was mounted on."  
  
"Well then, I guess that I'm not a 'truly skilled Seeker' because no matter what I do I can never beat that Potter to the Snitch."  
  
"But you always beat the other Seekers." Narcissa said as she came up beside her son to offer some aid.  
  
Draco looked over at her. He appreciated the effort she made to help him but the comment that she made didn't exactly help him too much.  
  
"Yes, Mother, but they're mounted on those pathetic Cleansweeps; any idiot could beat them if mounted on even a Nimbus 2000."  
  
This was the wrong thing to say and Draco did not realize this until too late.  
  
"Once again, Draco, you think that everything depends upon the broom and not the skill of the flyer. If you would just work harder on your technique then you could beat that Potter boy, even if he does have a Firebolt."  
  
Draco's face fell in defeat. He knew now that there was no way his father would buy him the Viper. He shouldn't have even bothered trying. He glanced over at his mother who looked sympathetically back at him.  
  
Lucius leaned back in his chair, elbow upon the arm, fingers set thoughtfully upon his chin. He sat for several moments in deep concentration. Draco took the silence as a sign that the discussion was over. He took up the Quidditch magazine and turned to go.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Draco turned around and looked expectantly at his father.  
  
"I have an idea; a sort of compromise. It will be good as it will enable you to improve upon your skills, allow us to spend more time together, and in the end it will allow you to get what you want."  
  
Draco's eyes widened and he held his breath as he waited for what his father was about to say.  
  
"You want a new racing broom. I will admit that your desire for a new broom is fair. After all, I have not bought you one since you were twelve."  
  
Draco's heart beat faster. Was it possible? Was he going to get the Viper after all?  
  
"Therefore, I have decided that you shall get the Viper."  
  
Draco's face lit up as a smile stretched across his face. He looked excitedly over at his mother who smiled back at him.  
  
"Now don't get too excited just yet. You're going to have to earn this broom. Before you are to receive this broom you are going to have to beat that Potter while being mounted upon your old Nimbus 2001."  
  
As quickly as his face had lit up with excitement, Draco's face fell.  
  
"Now don't look like that. You can beat him. You have the talent, but you just need to work harder and cultivate it. And I don't mean just flying around in circles outside chasing after the Snitch. There are other things that you can work on. Now, there are several months before your first Quidditch match. That's plenty of time for you to improve. So, as it is obvious that your usual methods of practice don't challenge you much to improve, I believe it would be a good idea if I train you over the remainder of the summer."  
  
Draco's eyes nearly popped out.  
  
"What do you mean?!"  
  
"I mean that I am going to teach you some Quidditch skills which might prove to be useful during a match."  
  
"You are going to teach me Quidditch skills?"  
  
"Why, yes, of course. I'll have you know, boy, I used to be quite good at the game myself."  
  
"You used to play Quidditch?"  
  
Lucius sighed deeply. It was a bit frustrating having Draco repeat everything that he had said in the form of questions.  
  
"Yes, Draco, I, Lucius Malfoy, your father, played the position of Seeker on the Slytherin house Quidditch team."  
  
Draco just gawked at his father. Within his mind images of his father racing around upon a broom chasing after the Snitch flashed, causing him to almost laugh at the absurdity. He had always thought of his father as being far too dignified to ride a broom. It was just too outrageous to imagine.  
  
"Well?" Lucius asked, bringing Draco back to reality. "What are you waiting for? Get ready for practice."  
  
"You're going to tech me this afternoon?"  
  
"Of course. I though that we had established that."  
  
"All afternoon?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alone?"  
  
"Of course." Lucius replied as if Draco had just asked the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Who else would be practicing with us? Your mother?"  
  
At the mention of his mother, Draco turned pleading eyes upon her. He wanted her to say something, anything to get him out of having to spend the afternoon with his father alone. However, Narcissa said nothing but just gave him a warm smile.  
  
"Mother, don't we have something planned for today? I though that there was some sort of get-together at the Parkinson's this afternoon."  
  
"No, dear, that's next week."  
  
Draco had known that it was next week, but he had not been able to come up with anything else quick enough.  
  
"Well, didn't we need to go shopping or something?" Draco gave her a meaningful look, but she simply turned her eyes away and replied,  
  
"No, Draco, there is nothing that we need to do today."  
  
Draco stared, stunned by his mother. He had not expected that. He and his mother had always backed up each other's excuses and stories when cornered by Lucius. He had no idea why his mother had just left him to fend for himself when it would have been very easy to make up some excuse as to why Draco would not be available that day.  
  
"Mother?" he said softly once more. She didn't answer but stared fixedly at the window behind Lucius' desk. Draco looked back at his father who was staring expectantly at him. He glanced once more at his mother, but when she said nothing he turned and proceeded out the door. Narcissa followed closely behind him.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
Draco did not answer her but began to ascend the stairs.  
  
"Draco." She said more sternly.  
  
Draco turned around to look at her.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just great," Draco replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "except for this acute feeling of abandonment and betrayal."  
  
"I do not appreciate your using that tone of voice with me, young man."  
  
Draco lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mother. It's just.well you heard what he said in there. Now I'm going to have to spend probably the entire afternoon doing what he considers 'quality father-son time' and you didn't do anything to try and stop it."  
  
Narcissa did everything she could to hold back her laughter at the sight of her son's disgusted face. She had to place a hand in front of her mouth in the vain attempt at hiding her smile. Draco couldn't help but notice this and as he did so, he became quite angry.  
  
"You're laughing?! I'm doomed to spend the day in Hell with the Devil himself and you just sit by, let it happen, and then laugh about it?!"  
  
Narcissa couldn't control herself and let out a laugh. Draco had always been so overly dramatic. However, her laughter stopped as soon as she saw her son's practically livid face.  
  
"Sure, go ahead. Laugh it up, Mother. This is all your fault!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Narcissa was quite shocked as her son began yelling at her. He had never acted this way towards her before.  
  
"It was your idea to ask Father about the broom. I knew it was a bad idea but you pushed me into it. It's because of you that I am now in this mess."  
  
"Now you just wait a minute, Draco Malfoy!"  
  
Draco just ignored her. "You didn't say anything; you just stood there and let it happen. You shouldn't be laughing about it. You should be feeling very guilty about this. Very guilty." Draco did not allow her to retort, but instead turned around and stormed up the stairs.  
  
Narcissa did not follow but just stared at her son's retreating form. Draco had never blown up like that at her before. What was wrong with him? Was he really that distressed at the prospect of spending the afternoon with his father? If so, why? He had spent time alone with his father before and it had never seemed to bother him. Could Lucius' new behavior have disturbed her son that much? If so, then this time alone with his father could prove to be a good thing after all. Draco always had a tendency to over-react and in this case he really needed to be shown that his father was not intending upon doing them any harm and that he had not in fact gone crazy; as far as she knew.  
  
For hours the night before, Narcissa a lain awake trying to make sense of the whole situation with her husband. Never before, even when they had first been married, had Lucius acted in such a pleasant and caring way. It was indeed unsettling and she couldn't understand what brought about such a change within him. After contemplating possible reasons and explanations until the very early morning hours, Narcissa finally came to a decision. She would give up trying to figure it out because it was making her head swim, but she was not brave enough to ask Lucius for an explanation. So, she decided to not fight against it, but flow with it. Lucius was acting like a pleasant man. Fine. She would just accept it and take advantage of it while it lasted. After all, it wasn't hurting anyone. That is, not yet. Therefore, when Lucius told his son that he would be teaching him some new skills, Narcissa thought that it could be a good idea. She knew that there was no way that she would be able to convince Draco to not be so paranoid about his father by simply talking to him; what he needed was some 'shock' treatment. He needed to alone with his father for an extended period of time in order to figure it out for himself. And so, when this situation presented itself she did nothing to prevent it. She had never expected the reaction that she had gotten from Draco.  
  
Narcissa rubbed her forehead agitatedly. "This is a good idea." She told herself. "He'll be fine. He'll come to realize that this is necessary. This will be good for him. For the both of them." She then began to ascend the stairs on her way to her bed chambers for a nice lie down in order to get rid of the headache that had begun to form.  
  
* * *  
  
"No, no, no! You're pulling out of the dive far too soon! Show a little guts and wait at least another second before pulling out!"  
  
Draco glared at his father before he soared back into the air to prepare for another try. He paused as he reached what he thought was a good height to start his dive. He quickly wiped away the sweat that was about to drip into eyes. He looked up at the cloudless sky which held the sun that glared down upon him. The day had proved to be unusually hot and humid making it very uncomfortable to do any sort of physical activity. Draco had no idea what time it was but he knew that they must have been on the manor's Quidditch pitch for several hours now and there was no sign that he would be leaving the pitch any time soon. Draco was thoroughly exhausted. He leaned heavily upon his broom as he tried to prepare himself for his next attempt. His chest heaved slightly and his hair, which was damp with sweat, hung slightly in his face.  
  
"Come along now!" Draco heard from the ground. He gave the dark spot on the ground a final glare and then entered the dive.  
  
"No! Do it again!"  
  
Draco rose in the air and entered the dive once again. He was determined to get it right. He had been working on this particular dive for the past thirty minutes, each time not performing it to his father's specifications. He was going to get it right this time. He could see the grass coming closer and closer. He wanted to pull out but he forced himself to wait. The ground was too close now.  
  
"Oh, shit!" Draco pulled up on the broom, but it was too late. He nicked the ground with his right leg which caused him to go skidding across the grass for several yards. He finally came to a stop, but was too shocked and winded to move. After a moment he could see a shadow loom over him. He then felt a hand on his arm and was pulled over so he was lying on his back. He looked up to see the concerned face of his father.  
  
"Draco, are you okay?"  
  
"I can't breath!" Draco managed to gasp.  
  
Lucius quickly felt for broken ribs, but when he discovered that there were none he said, "Just lie still for a few minutes. You've just had the wind knocked out of you."  
  
Draco did as his father said and in just a couple of minutes his breathing was returned to normal.  
  
"Does anything feel like it's broken?" Lucius asked, still kneeling by his son who was trying to prop himself upon his elbows.  
  
"No, I don't think so."  
  
"Good. So then you can get back on your broom and try it again."  
  
"What?!" Draco looked up in disbelief.  
  
"If you're not seriously injured then you should get back up and try it again. It's like when you fall off a horse. Now, your broom is right over there. Let's get this dive right."  
  
Lucius stood up and began walking to where he had been standing before. Draco glared daggers at his father's back, but obediently stood up and retrieved his Nimbus. He grimaced as he swung a leg over the handle and kicked off into the sky. He was definitely going to feel this in the morning.  
  
Draco reached his point in the sky once again. He sucked in a deep, settling breath and then entered the dive again. He hurtled towards the ground. He was determined to get it right. There was going to be no pulling out early and no crashing this time. The ground came closer and closer. Finally he allowed himself to pull out. For an instant he was sure that he had pulled out too late again and was going to go skidding across the ground once again, but, to his surprise, he didn't crash.  
  
"Good! Very good! That was perfect. Now do it like that for a couple of more times and then we'll move on."  
  
Draco did a few more times. Only once did he screw it up.  
  
"Good. Alright. It seems that you've got that down. Now how about we practice some maneuverability?"  
  
Draco hovered but a few feet from the ground, chest heaving, arms braced against the handle so as to keep him from falling, and his hair plastered to his head. He did not answer but simply watched as his father started walking over towards the trunk which held the Quaffle, the two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. Draco's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what his father was planning. Was he just going to release the Snitch and have him chase after it?  
  
"Now, maneuverability is possibly the Quidditch player's most valuable asset. You have to be able to think fast, remain alert, and be constantly vigilant."  
  
Draco looked even more questioningly at his father. Lucius bent down and opened the trunk. He then proceeded to take out the Golden Snitch and hold it up for Draco to see.  
  
"Now, I'm going to release the Snitch. Your job will be to find it." At those words Lucius let the glittering ball go. Draco could see a golden blur wiz towards a far corner of the pitch. "However," Lucius said before Draco could go after the Snitch. "you will have to dodge the bludgers, which I have charmed so as to target you automatically without have to be hit towards you."  
  
"Draco's heart stopped, his eyes widened, his whole face taking on an expression of complete shock. Within a split second his father reached down and released the bludgers which immediately soared from the box and began hurtling towards him.  
  
"Holy shit!" Draco turned on his broom and flew as fast as he could away from the bludgers. He could hear that they were right on his tail. He twisted and turned and did everything he could to try and shake them, but nothing worked. In his desperate attempt to try and not get hit by the bludgers, he had absolutely no time to look for the Snitch. There was no way that he would be able to find it while he had two heavy objects hurtling towards him. He flew as fast as he could in every which direction having to duck several times or make a sharp turn in order to avoid getting hit. Everything appeared as a blur as he streaked through the air. He dove closer towards the ground and then leveled off. All of the sudden a bludger appeared in front of him. Draco leaned to the side but was nicked on his left arm.  
  
"Ow!!" He yelled. Suddenly he felt the full force of a bludger hit him in the stomach. He went crashing to the ground. He lay in a curled up ball, teeth clenched and face screwed up in pain. For the second time that day the wind had been knocked out of him and had rendered him unable to make a sound for several moments. He finally was able to let out a cough and gasp for air. He then rolled over on his back, arms still clutching his stomach, his right leg stomping at the ground as he was not able to cry out in pain.  
  
"Draco! Draco, are you alright?!" Lucius rushed over to where his son had fallen, a distinct look of worry upon his face.  
  
Draco looked up at his father. He gasped several times and then managed to rasp out, "Do I bloody well look alright?!"  
  
Draco let his head fall back to the ground and closed his eyes.  
  
Lucius ignored Draco's impudent remark. "Does anything feel broken?"  
  
"I don't know." Draco's body began to relax as his muscles became less rigid and he just lay on the ground with his eyes shut, letting out the occasional whimper.  
  
Lucius remained by his son and waited silently for Draco to recover enough so that he could ascertain whether Draco had indeed broken anything. After several minutes Draco began to heave himself up to a sitting position.  
  
"How do you feel?" Lucius asked.  
  
"It hurts." He then began to struggle to stand. Lucius helped him up. As soon as Draco had reached a standing position he pulled his arm away from his father's grasp and began to limp uncertainly in the direction of the manor.  
  
Lucius quickly went to Draco's side. "As soon as we reach the house I am going to have Dr. Berkman take a look at you."  
  
"I'm fine." Draco said as he pulled away from his father once again. Lucius stopped and looked at his son's limping form. He let out a deep sigh. He had not expected Draco to get hurt. He had charmed the bludgers to chase after him, but he had not expected them to go after Draco in the way that they had. He let out another sigh. "Well, so much for that idea." Lucius looked around and saw the figure of the house elf that he had brought out to the Pitch to carry the equipment. "Take care of all this." He ordered as he motioned towards the bludgers which lay on the ground and his son's fallen Nimbus 2001.  
  
He then began to make his way towards the manor.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity Draco finally made it to the manor. He hobbled up the stone steps and pushed open the large door. He then limped towards the stairs. Just as he reached them he heard a small gasp coming from the right. He looked to see his mother standing about ten feet away from him with a horrified expression upon her face.  
  
"Honey, what happened to you?!"  
  
"Don't even speak to me." Draco said bitterly as he began to pull himself up the stairs.  
  
Narcissa stared, shocked at the sight of her son. His hair was matted, he had dirt and grass stains all over his clothes and some on his face, there was a small amount of blood on his face, and she could see some bruises beginning to form. She heard the large wooden door close and she looked over to see Lucius walked towards her. She didn't say a word, but just looked in horror at her husband.  
  
"He'll be alright." Lucius said reassuringly. "He just had a couple of falls today. I'm having Dr. Berkman take a look at him. I'm sure it's nothing but a few bumps and bruises." Lucius then began to make his way up the stairs, leaving his wife standing at the bottom.  
  
* * *  
  
Every which way Draco turned he could not get comfortable. The doctor had healed the cuts and bruises but his body was still very soar and, according to Dr. Berkman, would remain so for a day or two. Draco groaned as he flipped over onto his back once again. Every part of him ached. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 11:00. He knew that he was in for a long night.  
  
Suddenly he heard a soft knock on his door. He didn't answer, but he knew that that wouldn't stop his mother from entering.  
  
"Draco, honey, are you asleep?" Narcissa whispered as she entered slowly.  
  
"No." was Draco's short reply. "I hurt too much to sleep." He added.  
  
Narcissa looked down at him sympathetically. She then sat down on the edge of the bed and began playing with Draco's loose hair. "Draco, I am so sorry about today. I didn't think that you'd get hurt like that. If I had known I wouldn't have let you go out there, and."  
  
"Mother, it's okay. I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Draco nodded.  
  
"Are you still mad at me?"  
  
Draco shook his head.  
  
"Good, because look what I got to make it up to you." As she said this she handed over the object which she had kept concealed by her side.  
  
Draco took it and Narcissa grinned happily as she saw Draco's face light up. "Mother, you got the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers!"  
  
"Yes. And we are going to watch it tomorrow night. Just the two of us."  
  
Draco looked smiled up at his mother. He then suddenly frowned and asked, "How are we going to watch it with father around all the time now?"  
  
"Don't worry. Leave it up me."  
  
Draco smiled again. After a few moments the smile faded and he said, "I'm sorry, Mother, for yelling at you today."  
  
Narcissa smiled and kissed her son on the forehead. "Thank you, dear. Now, you should try and get some sleep." With that she stood up and left the room.  
  
Draco gave a smile and turned over onto his left side and tried to do as his mother instructed. He was just beginning to feel sleep creeping upon him when he heard another knock at the door. The knock was too heavy to be by his mother so he deduced that it must have been made by his father. He heard the door open and the sound of his father's heavy steps. Draco kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to his father. He hadn't said a word to Lucius since he had left the pitch, even when he had been asked a question, and he wasn't about to start now.  
  
A minute passed and he could feel his father's presence standing over him. It made him feel very uncomfortable. What did he want? Suddenly he felt his mattress sink as his father sat on the edge just like his mother had done. He kept his eyes shut and made sure that his breathing remained deep and even.  
  
"I'm sorry." Draco couldn't believe what he just heard. "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard. I'm sorry that you hate me. I'm sorry for everything that I did and didn't do."  
  
Draco felt his father stand up and heard him exit the room. His eyes opened and he looked at the door that was just shut.  
  
"Father's sorry?" Draco lay looking up at the ceiling for the next few hours, unable to sleep. "Father's sorry?" 


	11. Pizza and a Movie

Author's note: Well, as promised, here is the next installment. Hope you like it.  
  
Thanks very much for the reviews. I love reading them. The more reviews I get the more incentive I have to get the chapters out quickly. So, keep them coming. You know how much I love and appreciate them. Thanks again.  
  
Oh, Draco and Narcissa will be watching "The Two Towers" in this chapter. I used a couple of the scenes from the movie, so if you haven't seen the movie you may get lost. However, it's a very short part of this chapter so don't worry about it. I also wrote the scenes from memory so the lines might not be exactly like the ones in the movie.  
  
Chapter Eleven:  
  
"Young Master Malfoy, sir?"  
  
Draco gave a groan and rolled over onto his side.  
  
"Poppy is hating to wake the young sir, but Master Malfoy and Mistress are waiting to start breakfast."  
  
Draco gave another groan but managed to shove himself into a sitting position. Suddenly the heavy green curtains which hung in front of his window were pulled aside, allowing the bright sunlight to enter the room. Draco squinted, blinded by the light, and placed a hand in front of his eyes. After a few moments his eyes readjusted and he plopped his hand down onto the blankets. He sat, staring down at his bed, his mind still half- asleep. The small house elf stood by the side of his bed, shifting from one foot to the other and ringing her hands.  
  
"Poppy hates to bother young sir, but Master and Mistress are waiting down in the dining hall."  
  
Draco shook himself from his groggy state and began pulling himself free from his covers. He winced and groaned as he did so, discovering that his muscles were rather stiff and very soar from the previous day.  
  
Getting himself dressed proved to be a rather difficult task, causing him to take longer than usual. Finally, after about ten minutes of wrestling with his clothes, Draco began to make his way out of his room. Walking proved to be even more difficult than getting dressed. His legs would hardly move and he winced every time he took a step. After what seemed to be forever, Draco finally reached the top of the long staircase. He leaned with his right hand heavily upon the banister and, after taking a couple of deep breaths, he began to descend. He slowly shuffled his way down, having to put both feet on the step before proceeding to the next.  
  
"Ow.ee.oh.ah." he groaned as he landed on each step. Would he ever reach the bottom?  
  
* * *  
  
"Hmm.looks as if Germany has qualified for the Quidditch World Cup. Germany vs. England; should be interesting." Lucius commented as he took a sip from his coffee cup and placed the newspaper down on the table. Narcissa just gave a slight nod and a small smile as she took a sip from her own cup. She really had no interest in Quidditch, or any sports for that matter, so she really had no idea why a match against Germany would be interesting. Suddenly the door to the dining hall opened and the both of them looked up to see Draco slowly hobbling towards the table. Lucius, even though he felt guilty about the injuries that he had caused, couldn't help but smile amusedly at the way his son hobbled along.  
  
"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?" Narcissa said as her son gave her the customary kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I slept okay." Draco replied as he made his way towards his seat. The truth was, however, that he had not slept well at all. He hadn't been able to get to sleep until almost three in the morning and even then he kept waking up every half an hour or so, either from pain or from bad dreams. He kept dreaming that his father was chasing him around the Quidditch pitch mounted on a Viper 3000 and was throwing bludgers at him. Draco himself had been mounted on a Cleansweep and had no chance of out- running his father. All the while Harry Potter sat in the middle of the field laughing and pointing. Every time Draco would go back to sleep he would dream the same thing, except for the last time. The final dream he had was pretty similar except for the fact that Lucius was trying to hug him instead of throwing bludgers at him. Draco found this dream to the most disturbing of the night.  
  
"It's a very nice day out." Lucius commented. Narcissa could swear that she saw something along the lines of a mischievous glint in his eyes. Draco was beginning to slowly lower himself into his chair. "It would be a wonderful day for some Quidditch practice."  
  
Draco froze, halfway lowered in his seat. He stared disbelievingly at his father who just stared back with a half grin on his face. After a moment of silence Lucius let out a laugh and shook his head. "I was only kidding, Draco. I can see that you are not up for Quidditch today." Lucius continued to chuckle slightly.  
  
Draco allowed himself to drop in his seat and look over at his mother who just shook her head as if to say, "I have no idea". Draco picked up his fork and began stabbing at his eggs.  
  
"Besides," Lucius continued, "as I just finished telling your mother, I have to leave this afternoon on a short business trip. I'll only be gone for a couple of days. Should be enough time for you to recover."  
  
Draco just nodded his head. Outside he didn't show his eagerness, but inside he was excited. He always loved it when his father would leave on one of his business trips. It would give him and his mother time to be together and be themselves without having to worry about Lucius' disapproval. Draco was already planning what movies they would watch for the rest of the afternoon and into the late evening.  
  
"You wouldn't want to come with me would you?" Lucius asked.  
  
"What?" Draco asked as he pulled himself from his thoughts.  
  
"I'm going to Munich, Germany and thought you might like to come."  
  
"Is Mother going?"  
  
"No, she's going to some social event with Mrs. Goyle."  
  
"Oh, um, I think that I would prefer to stay here, if that's okay. I think that I'm too sore to go wandering around Munich."  
  
"That's fine." Lucius said as he returned to his newspaper. He didn't notice as Draco let out a little sigh of relief.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'll see you two in a couple of days." Lucius said as he walked over to his wife. To hers' and Draco's utter amazement Lucius kissed his wife upon the cheek. Before she could react Lucius had pulled away and began to move towards Draco, who instinctively began to back away. However, Lucius reached out and managed to ruffle his son's hair before he could get far enough away. "See you soon." Draco scowled furiously as he tried to smooth his now messy hair back into place. That was the second time that his father had done that and he hated it. Other than himself, his mother was the only one who was allowed to touch his hair.  
  
Lucius gave them a final nod and then apparated himself from the mansion. Narcissa turned to her son who was still scowling furiously and trying to smooth his hair back. Narcissa laughed and then reached out and ruffled his hair herself.  
  
"MOTHER!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
"You're a liar."  
  
"No."  
  
"And a thief."  
  
"No, not listening."  
  
"Murderer."  
  
"Go away."  
  
"Go away?!"  
  
"I hates you."  
  
"Draco, why are you laughing?" Narcissa asked in a shocked voice.  
  
"Uh, because it's funny." Draco responded as he looked away from the television screen and at his mother.  
  
"You think that that is funny?" Narcissa asked, still shocked. "That poor Gollum is torn within himself. Can't you see the inner conflict and the turmoil that he suffers through?"  
  
"Mother, it's just a movie."  
  
"That doesn't matter. I can't believe that you are laughing at this."  
  
"Mother, I'm laughing because of the way that they Gollum talking with himself. You know, the way he has a split personality and the way that they filmed it in order to make it look like he's two separate people, or whatever he is. Just the way he's talking is funny. It's supposed to funny and serious at the same time."  
  
"Well, I don't find it very funny."  
  
Draco just shook his head and returned his focus back on the screen that was playing "The Two Towers". He then reached forward and took another piece of a topping covered pizza. "Come on, Mother, you're supposed to be helping me with this, that's why we got a large."  
  
"Oh, I couldn't, Draco, I'm full."  
  
"How could you possibly be full? You only had one piece."  
  
"Well, honey, unlike you, I am not a bottomless pit. Plus, I have to watch my waistline."  
  
Draco stopped in mid chew and looked at is mother's waist. "What waist? You haven't got one."  
  
Narcissa smiled and shook her head. "I most certainly do. I still haven't been able to lose those few pounds that I gained over Christmas."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "God, Mother, if you got any skinnier I think you'd blow away in a gentle breeze. Now, come on, eat another piece."  
  
"No, Draco, I can't."  
  
"Yes, you can." Draco said as he leaned forward and grabbed a piece of pizza. "Come on, eat it. You know you want to." He then added in a high pitched voice, "Eat me, eat me."  
  
Narcissa smiled. She the rolled her eyes and finally gave in. "Okay, but just one more."  
  
Draco gave a satisfied smile as his mother took the pizza from him.  
  
* * *  
  
"No parent should ever have to bury their child."  
  
Draco could hear a few sniffs coming from where his mother was sitting.  
  
"Mum, are you crying?" Draco asked in a disgusted tone.  
  
"No." Narcissa sniffed.  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"Oh, shut up and watch the movie."  
  
"You women are too emotional. Ow!" Draco exclaimed as his mother hit him on the side of his head.  
  
* * *  
  
"Now hold on, didn't that guy die in the first movie?" Narcissa asked as she pointed at the screen.  
  
"No, Mother, that was Boromir who died."  
  
"Then who's this guy?"  
  
"That's Faramir, Boromir's brother."  
  
"Oh. And is he one of the good guys?"  
  
"Yes!!!" Draco said in an exasperated tone. His mother really couldn't follow the plots and characters in movies very well. "Heaven forbid I ever try to watch the Matrix with her." Draco thought to himself. 


	12. Box of Chocolates

Author's Note: Hey all, thanks for the reviews. Don't have time for individual acknowledgements right now but thank you all for reviewing. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and, as always, enjoy.  
  
Chapter Twelve: Box of Chocolates  
  
It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon on the second day after Lucius' departure to Munich. Things had been relatively quiet since he left. Draco and Narcissa had had quite a relaxing time sitting around and watching movies and going out for rides upon their horses. Now the two of them sat quietly in the parlor, Draco stretched out on a couch reading a novel and Narcissa working on a blanket that she had been crocheting for the past six months. Instead of charming the hook to crochet for her, Narcissa preferred to do it herself by hand.  
  
Everything was silent in the room save for the occasional sound of a page turning. Narcissa never liked silence, so she decided to disturb her son from his reading and spoke.  
  
"When is Marcus supposed to arrive today?"  
  
"He'll be coming here at around 5:30." Draco replied without taking his eyes from his book.  
  
"So, he'll be staying for supper then?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's nice. We haven't seen much of him since he graduated from Hogwarts. Well, I suppose he doesn't have much time being on the British Quidditch team and all." Narcissa was looking at her son; her hands moving deftly along the yarn.  
  
"Mm." Draco gave as an acknowledging grunt as he kept on reading.  
  
Narcissa gave a short sigh. "So, your father is supposed to come home tomorrow."  
  
Draco tore his eyes away from the page and gave his mother a sour expression. Narcissa smiled amusedly.  
  
"Now, Draco, don't look like that. He is your father and you will show him respect." Draco just turned back to his book. "He is trying after all."  
  
"Trying?! Trying at what?"  
  
"I don't know, but please be pleasant."  
  
Draco just rolled his eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh.  
  
"I should perhaps get some more of that muscle relaxing potion today as I am sure that your father is going to want to have you practice Quidditch tomorrow." Draco gave out a groan. "He's only trying to help you improve, Draco."  
  
Draco snorted. He then looked over at his mother with a slightly mischievous look upon his face. "I'm afraid I won't be able to practice Quidditch with him tomorrow as I have a "social engagement" with Goyle." A grin spread out across his face.  
  
Narcissa placed her crocheting on her lap and tried to look sternly at her son. "Draco, you know I had to say that so that I could stay here and spend some time with you. I knew you wouldn't want to go to Munich and I wanted to be able to have some time with just you and me."  
  
"Oh, so it was for my benefit?" Draco asked sarcastically, his smile growing broader.  
  
"Of course it was." Narcissa replied, her eyes shifting to the floor.  
  
"Oh, come on, Mother. You didn't want to go to Munich with Father anymore than I did. Admit it; you're just a shameless liar."  
  
"Draco Lucius Malfoy!!! Are you suggesting that I would lie to your father for my own personal gain?!!"  
  
"I don't have to suggest it." Draco said with a sly grin as he once again turned his eyes upon his book. He then turned back to look at his mother who seemed to be trying to fight for a stern expression upon her face but only succeeded in looking amused.  
  
"Well, I don't do it very often." She said defensively.  
  
"Sure, Mother."  
  
"I really only did it for you."  
  
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mum."  
  
"Stop judging me!"  
  
"I'm not judging you! I'd do the same thing."  
  
"Don't you dare. It's alright for me to do it, but it is definitely not okay for you to lie to your father."  
  
"Hey, I only learn from example."  
  
"DRACO!!!" Narcissa yelled as she throwing a large pillow hitting her son squarely in the face. She then went back to her crocheting, refusing to even glance at her son, thereby ending the conversation.  
  
"Finally." Draco thought. "Now I can read my book in peace."  
  
* * *  
  
Everything was rather quiet within the Malfoy Manor that evening. Marcus Flint had arrived as scheduled and the three of them sat down to a wonderful dinner, during which there was a lengthy discussion about England's chances at beating Germany during the World Cup that was to be taking place in late August. Knowing as little about Quidditch as she did, the only comment that Narcissa could make during this conversation was, "It should be interesting".  
  
After supper Narcissa decided to leave the two boys and retire to her bed chambers. Draco and Marcus had then made their way to the parlor, still discussing Quidditch, and more importantly, the brooms that the British team would be supplied with.  
  
"Yeah, each of the team members are going to receive one of those new Viper 3000's."  
  
"Really?! That's cool. My father says that I can get one."  
  
"That's great!"  
  
"Yeah, except I have to beat Harry Potter on my old Nimbus 2001 first."  
  
"Oh, that sucks, man."  
  
"What?! You think I can't do it?"  
  
"Hey, I didn't say that."  
  
"No, but you're implying it." Draco said accusingly.  
  
Yes, everything was quiet, except for the occasional sound of scurrying feet as house elves went about doing their work. Suddenly there was a loud pop causing one of the house elves to let out a very high- pitched squeal. Lucius had suddenly appeared within the entrance hall holding a couple of packages within his arms. He glared over at the elf that had made the offensive noise. The elf cowered, wringing its hands; eyes shifting from side to side.  
  
"Squimby, is sorry for making noise, Master, but we was not expecting you until tomorrow."  
  
Lucius just continued to glare at the squirming house elf. He then said in a cold tone, "Where are my wife and son?"  
  
"Mistress has retired to her bed-chamber and the young master is in the parlor, sir."  
  
Lucius just gave a slight nod and headed off in the direction of the parlor. However, as he approached it he could hear voices coming through the door that stood slightly ajar. He was about to just push his way through when he heard what was being said.  
  
"Wow, Draco, that does sound pretty weird. Do you think it's for real?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Then why do you think he's suddenly acting as if he cares about you and your mother?"  
  
Lucius' eyes narrowed menacingly.  
  
"I don't know. But he has to up to something. I mean why, after sixteen years of practically ignoring me would he suddenly want to have "father-son bonding time"? It's really creeping me out." There was silence for several moments and then Draco began to speak again. "Oh, and I almost forgot, he'll be coming back from his business trip tomorrow."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So?! He'll probably want to go out and practice some more Quidditch. Or he may do worse."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm sure that there are worse things that he could probably do to me. Aaggghhhh! I wish he'd just stay gone. That would be nice. A business trip that would last from now until the time I have to go back to Hogwarts."  
  
"What are you going to do when he gets back?"  
  
"Hide. Avoid him as much as possible. Pretend I'm sick. You know, stuff like that. What kind of diseases are popular for the summer?"  
  
Lucius could hear the other person in the room laughing rather heartily.  
  
"It's not funny, Marcus, I'm being serious. You don't know what he's like now. I used to fear him before because he was always in a bad mood, but now I'm terrified because of his good mood. I never know what he's going to do. Now when I walk around the house I constantly look over my shoulder to make sure he's not sneaking up on me to give me another hug or something." There was a short pause. "Stop laughing at me!"  
  
"Sorry, Draco, I'm just trying to picture it."  
  
"Well, just come over tomorrow and you won't have to picture it."  
  
"What does your mother think about all of this?"  
  
Lucius strained his ears to hear what his son was about to say.  
  
"I don't know. She was pretty freaked out about it before, but I think she's accepting it now. Maybe she knows something that I don't. Anyway, she says that we should just take advantage of it while it lasts. Maybe she's right. But I still think that he is up to something."  
  
There was silence for several moments until Marcus broke it. "Well, my sympathies. Now, you want to go out and play some night Quidditch?"  
  
"Sure. I'll quickly owl Crabbe and Goyle and tell them to get their butts over here."  
  
"Yeah, but we need at least two more. We can play three on three. One person for the goals and then two to handle the Quaffles. No Bludgers and no Snitch."  
  
"Okay, I'll get Pansy and Millicent to come over as well."  
  
Lucius began to move away from the door and started in the direction of his bed-chamber. His brow was furrowed deeply and he had a look of intense chagrin upon his face. What he had heard had troubled him deeply. His own son wished that he would stay away and not see or talk to him. Could he really blame him though? Had he really ignored Draco for sixteen years? Was it actually too late for him to form any sort of relationship with his son? Draco was, after all, sixteen. In about two months he would be heading back to Hogwarts. Draco only had two years left and then he would most likely be moving out of the manor and starting a new life elsewhere. So really, Lucius had only five months left, not counting Christmas holidays, to convince his son that he loved him and form some sort of relationship with him. Lucius felt a pang of regret. This is something that he should have done years ago. Now it could very well be too late.  
  
* * *  
  
Narcissa sat in an over-stuffed chair next to the fireplace, reading the novel that she had seen Draco reading earlier. She was soon startled by the unexpected sound of the chamber door opening. She looked up and was very surprised to see the figure of her husband entering the room.  
  
"Lucius?! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."  
  
Lucius did not look up at her, not having really heard her. Narcissa became a bit concerned as she saw the unpleasant look upon Lucius' face. She began to worry that Lucius had gone back to his usual self as this was actually not an unfamiliar expression.  
  
"Lucius, is everything alright?" she said warily as she placed the book on the small table that sat next to her.  
  
Lucius seemed to be pulled from very deep thought as he looked up at his wife. "Oh, sorry, Narcissa. Yes, everything is fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Somehow I don't quite believe that." Narcissa ventured.  
  
Lucius looked intensely at his wife who, after a minute so, began to shift uneasily under his gaze. Lucius then proceed to walk over to the bed and place the packages upon them, his expression never leaving his face. Narcissa followed his movements curiously. She wanted to ask him what was wrong again, but wasn't sure if she should. Suddenly Lucius looked up at her as if he were about to say something but then thought better of it. He gave her this look once again, so she asked him, "Lucius, is there something that you want to tell me? Has something upset you?"  
  
Lucius looked at her again and then decided to tell her. "I heard Draco talking to Marcus about me."  
  
Narcissa's eyes widened in alarm. She could only imagine what Draco had said which would explain the look upon Lucius' face. "What did you overhear?"  
  
"Things. Things that I can't really blame him for I suppose."  
  
Narcissa was unsure about what to say. She began to fidget with her hands nervously. She wasn't sure what to expect from Lucius. She would never have guessed that he would take what she thought Draco had said in such a calm, almost defeated, manner.  
  
"Do you think that I have been ignoring him for sixteen years?"  
  
Narcissa looked away from him. How was she supposed to answer that?  
  
"Please, tell me the truth." Lucius said gently.  
  
Narcissa took a deep, calming breath. "Not completely."  
  
"But you do think that I have ignored him?"  
  
"Well, you haven't actually spent any real time with him. You just kind of leave him to himself mostly. Even when it's just the two of you, you don't actually talk to him or anything."  
  
Lucius looked down at the floor and nodded. "Narcissa, I want to fix that, but I think that it may be too late. I don't think he had any interest in me at all. And once again, I can't blame him." He then looked back up at her. "I want to change everything, but he says that I scare him more now than I did before."  
  
Narcissa looked at him unsurely. She had to tell him now. She had to tell him how Draco and her felt about his sudden change. "Lucius, it's just that he doesn't know what to expect from you anymore. You've changed so drastically that it's really sent the both of us for a loop. We don't understand you anymore. Draco thinks that it's probably a passing faze and that you'll go back to the way you were before."  
  
"Cold, unfeeling, and ignoring right?"  
  
"I."  
  
"You think that it'll pass as well, don't you?"  
  
"Well."  
  
"It's alright; I understand. I guess it must be a real shock for you two."  
  
"If we only knew why."  
  
"If you only knew? Well, I suppose that I can tell you. However, I fear that you will not believe me and decide that I am worthy of St. Mungos after all."  
  
"We never said that."  
  
"No, but I'm sure you've thought it." Lucius said with a weak smile. He then walked over to a seat across from where she sat. He then took in a deep sigh and looked over at her. Narcissa looked anxiously at him. She couldn't believe that he was actually going to tell her the reasons behind his sudden behavioral change.  
  
"Well, it all started when I died.."  
  
Narcissa's eyes grew very wide. This was going to be a very interesting story.  
  
* * *  
  
"And so, that's when I realized that I had to change. I had to show you two that I do love you and that I want to start over. I want to become the husband and father that I should have been years ago."  
  
Narcissa just sat in a dazed state. She could hardly make sense of whet she had just heard. It was perhaps one of the craziest stories that she had ever heard. Was it true though? Could she possibly believe it?  
  
"Oh." Lucius suddenly said. "I almost forgot." He stood from the chair and made his way over to the bed to retrieve one of the packages. He then walked back towards her and placed the package in front of her. "I bought these for you." She looked curiously up at him and then tentivly took the package in her hand. "They're Germany's finest chocolates. I thought I should start making up for all the times that I should have bought you chocolates but didn't."  
  
Narcissa stared down at the box for several moments. She then smiled weakly up at Lucius as she stood up and made her way to the liqueur cabinet. 


	13. Do You Believe Me?

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. Keep them coming. Hope you like this chapter. It's a bit shorter than my other ones and not so funny, but it is important. I promise the next chapter will be funny. Draco is going to get drunk and Lucius is going to help his son so that he doesn't get caught by Narcissa, who would be absolutely lived should she find out that Draco got himself intoxicated.  
  
Thank you all also for your suggestions. I haven't decided yet what he is going to get. Should it be a book, German hair gel, etc. I don't know. So many things. If you have any more suggestions, please let me know.  
  
Thanks again for all your reviews. I absolutely love them. The next chapter should be coming very soon. I'm trying to get as much written for you guys as possible since I am leaving on the 27th to go to Ireland to study for the next ten months at the University College Cork. Don't worry, I'll definitely write while I'm there. There won't be really long delays, I hope. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Review and let me know what you think. Love ya all.  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Do You Believe Me?  
  
Narcissa woke the following morning in a sneezing fit. As far as sneezing goes, they were very feminine; not really being any louder than the soft squeak of a mouse. Narcissa fumbled for her handkerchief that she always kept on the bedside table. Once she had grasped it she covered her mouth and nose until the sneezing had subsided. She laid her head back into the pillow and gave a small sigh of relief. She then turned her head slightly and began to open her eyes slowly to see if she had woken Lucius up. However, to her surprise he was not lying next to her. Instead her eyes feel upon a single white rose that lay on his pillow. She looked at it curiously as she raised herself to rest on her elbows. She then reached out and picked up the delicate rose in her hand. Never before had Lucius given her a rose, or kind of flower for that matter. Narcissa's lips curled into a smile as she propped herself against her pillows and began to turn flower around and around to gaze at its perfect beauty. Suddenly her gaze shifted from the rose to the rest of the room and her jaw dropped in utter amazement. The entire room was covered with vases and bouquets of roses of all different colors. Rose petals were strewn across the floor and even on the furniture. Narcissa couldn't believe what she was seeing was real. All of the sudden her nose tickled and she began a new wave of sneezing. They were definitely real. Narcissa quickly pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom for her anti-allergy potion.  
  
* * *  
  
On a small blanket on a grassy slope by the side of the manor, Narcissa sat, reading the novel that she had started the night before. It was a very pleasant day, the air was warm, the sun shone brightly, and there was a slight breeze that blew every so often. After several doses of her potion, Narcissa's allergy symptoms disappeared and she couldn't help but go outside and enjoy the beautiful day. However, her mind was barely on the book that she was trying to read. She kept thinking about the night before and all that Lucius had told her. The story had sounded so unreasonably ridiculous that it was hard for her to comprehend what he had told her. The more she thought about it the crazier it seemed. Had Lucius indeed gone crazy? This was the most obvious explanation, however, there was something inside her that told her the story was true. The sensible side of her brain kept saying that Lucius must have simply hit his head and had had a dream or some other logical explanation, but then the other side of her brain told her that her husband was telling the truth. Her mind was in a constant battle with itself, fighting to make sense of the previous night.  
  
Narcissa was right in the midst of one of these battles when she noticed a shadow coming over her. She looked over her shoulder to Lucius standing above her. For the moment before either one of them spoke, Narcissa marveled at how different Lucius' appearance was. As he looked down at her he did not wear his usual expression of cold, stony, indifference; instead there was a warmth in his eyes and a smile upon his lips. A few moments passed as the two of them stared at each other. Finally Lucius broke he silence.  
  
"I hope that they make up in some small way for all the times that I should have given you flowers before." Lucius moved and sat down next to Narcissa, his gaze resting upon the pond that lay at the bottom of the hill.  
  
It took Narcissa several moments to respond. "They were lovely, Lucius, thank you." Narcissa smiled, the memory of her allergies lurking in the back of her mind.  
  
Lucius smiled as he looked back at her. Silence fell between them. Narcissa shifted her eyes nervously over to the pond. She could feel Lucius' intense gaze upon her. She hated the way he looked at her so intensely; it made her feel uncomfortable as she felt like he was reading her like a book.  
  
"You do believe me, don't you?"  
  
Narcissa turned to face him, a confused look upon her face.  
  
"About what I told you last night."  
  
"Oh." Narcissa looked down at the cover of the book, her mind racing. What should she tell him? She hadn't made up her mind yet as to whether she actually believed him or not. It was, after all, a difficult thing to ask someone to accept. She looked back at him. His face held a grave expression as he gazed apprehensively at her; his eyes were piercing into her own. The silence was deafening as Lucius waited for his wife to answer him. Suddenly Narcissa came to a decision. To hell with logic and understanding; her husband could be completely crazy, and she could be crazy for believing him, but she did believe him.  
  
"Yes, Lucius, I do believe you."  
  
Lucius' solemn expression instantly disappeared and was replaced with a large smile.  
  
"Thank you, Narcissa." Silence fell once again as the two of them looked at each other. For some reason Narcissa could feel herself begin to blush under Lucius' gaze. She felt like a little school girl all of the sudden and couldn't understand why. She nervously shifted her eyes back towards the pond, the grass, her dress, the book; anywhere but at her husband. Lucius noticed how uncomfortable she was feeling and was slightly amused. He then broke the awkward silence as he cleared his throat.  
  
"Where is Draco at? It doesn't seem like he's in the manor."  
  
"Oh, no he's not. Right after breakfast he left to meet Marcus and few other friends in Diagon alley. He should be back later this afternoon."  
  
"Ah, good. I'd like to have him practice some more Quidditch moves."  
  
"Please go easier on him toady than you did the last time. He's not like you."  
  
"What do you mean he's not like me?" Lucius asked, slightly affronted.  
  
"Whenever you set your mind on something you don't let anything distract you. You don't think about meals, sleep, or really anything else until you've completed what you set out to do."  
  
"And what has that got to do with Draco's Quidditch practices?"  
  
"Last time you went on for hours and drove Draco to the point of exhaustion. So please, just go a little easier on him."  
  
Lucius gave a look of reluctant consent. He didn't feel like he had pushed Draco that hard the last time, but he conceded to his wife anyways.  
  
"Oh, while we're on the subject of Draco," Lucius said, "do you think that I should tell him what I told you?"  
  
"No!" was Narcissa's very quick reply. Lucius looked startled over at her. "I mean, it would probably be best if you waited a bit longer before you tell him. It might be a lot harder for him to accept it." Lucius nodded in agreement. Narcissa was a bit relieved. If Lucius had told Draco that he had died and was shown little aspects of his life by an angel, thus being the reason for his sudden change, then Draco would probably think that his father really had flipped and probably contact St. Mungo's himself. 


	14. Rebellion

Chapter Fourteen: Rebellion  
  
It was mid-afternoon when Draco returned to Malfoy Manor. There was an unusual bustle about the house which struck Draco as being rather curious. Usually that house was deathly silent and still, but now there were house elves scurrying about and there was a sense of hurry in the air. Draco began looking for his mother in order to inquire if there was anything going on. He was walking down the hall and was just reaching the opened door of his parents' room when Narcissa, who was exiting the room in a hurry, bumped right into him.  
  
"Oh, there you are, dear." Narcissa said in a slightly flustered state. "I was just coming to look for you." With that she turned and re- entered the room. "No, no, no, Tilly! I'm not going to be there for that long so I don't think that I will be needing my winter coat." Narcissa gave an exasperated sigh as the poor little house else returned the coat to the wardrobe.  
  
Draco entered the room curiously. He immediately saw the suitcases piled upon the bed and the house elves hurrying about, packing them with clothes and other things. A sudden sense of worry crept into Draco's chest. Why was his mother suddenly packing? There had been no plans for her to go on any trip and she was never one to spontaneously pick up and leave; unless...  
  
"Mother," he said urgently, "where are you going?"  
  
"Hm?" Narcissa muttered distractedly. "What? Oh, sorry, dear. No, don't pack that green dress. I think I'd rather have the purple one."  
  
"Mum?" Draco crossed the room and stood beside his mother.  
  
"Oh, yes, sorry. Honey, about an hour ago I received an urgent message from your Aunt Claire. She says that Mother, I mean, your Grandmother is feeling really ill."  
  
"Oh." Draco said slightly relieved. For a minute there he thought that his mother was leaving, as in leaving possibly for good. He had no idea why he had even thought that. "Will she be okay?"  
  
"Oh, yes, of course." She's just caught some sort of bug, but I think that I should go to her anyhow. I shouldn't be gone too long, but you had better behave for your father."  
  
A cold chill ran down Draco's back as his mother said this. It hadn't occurred to him that with his mother leaving he would be left home alone with his father.  
  
"You're going to leave me here, alone, with him?"  
  
Narcissa rolled her eyes as she heard the nervous and even despairing sound of Draco's voice.  
  
"You can't, Mum."  
  
"Now, Draco..."  
  
"Mum, I never thought that I would ever say this but, please, may I go with you to visit Grandmother Black?"  
  
"Draco, you can't stand going to see your Grandmother Black. You never get along well with her."  
  
"Well, it's all her fault. If she'd stop acting like I'm her slave instead of her grandson and making all those horrible remarks about me then maybe we would get on. She treats me like of some filth that she's just scraped off her shoes."  
  
"Well, Draco, maybe if you didn't fight back and just ignored it maybe she'd stop. You just fuel it more when you react."  
  
"Hey, there's no way that I'm going to take crap from that horrible old bint."  
  
"Draco!" Narcissa exclaimed. "Horrible or not she is still your Grandmother and deserves some amount of respect."  
  
Draco just made a "yeah right" face and sank down on an empty section of the bed and leaned hia head against the mahogany post. He then sighed. "Mum, please may I come? I promise I'll try not to be mean to Gran."  
  
"Draco, why do you want to come so badly?"  
  
"I miss her?" Draco said questioningly, as if to see if it was the right answer or not. Narcissa knew better. In fact in only took her a second to remember the real reason why he wanted to go.  
  
"Honey, this is really getting ridiculous."  
  
"What is?" Draco replied in surprise.  
  
"This whole attitude towards your father. He's not insane and he's not trying to kill us as part of some evil plan."  
  
Draco gave his mother a slightly dirty look. "Well, how do you know? He could very well be someone else who just looks like him. Maybe my real father was murdered and has just been replaced by the culprit who looks like him because of pollyjuice potion and is here trying to get his hands on the Malfoy fortune." Draco's eyes widened and he sat up straighter upon the bed as a whole dastardly plot began to evolve within his mind. "What if Grandmother's illness is just a ruse to get you away from the manner so that it would be easier to kill me. Maybe he'll try to kill you as well and...."  
  
"Draco!" Narcissa interrupted, "Do you have any idea how crazy you sound? What has gotten into you? You are making absolutely no sense. That man is your father and there is no murder plot. With as paranoid and crazy as you have become I have half a mind to take away all television privileges from you for good."  
  
Draco frowned and remained silent. In retrospect of what he had just said he did in fact realize that it did sound quite ludicrous. However, it still did not get rid of the fact that he would much rather go with his mother to his evil Gran's house than stay home alone with his father.  
  
Narcissa turned to face her son, hands on her hips, "Now, you are going to stay here with your father while I go help out with Gran and you will not do anything stupid."  
  
"Like what?" Draco asked, somewhat offended.  
  
"I don't know. I have no idea what's going through your head right now, but you had better forget about it."  
  
"Forget what?"  
  
"Whatever it is you're thinking about."  
  
"I'm not thinking about anything."  
  
"Well, good. Now keep it that way."  
  
Draco looked at his mother with a confused expression.  
  
"Now go on and get out of here. I've got to finish packing because I want to get there as soon as possible." She then shooed a reluctant Draco out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
An hour later Narcissa was saying goodbye to her sour-faced son.  
  
"It will do him good." she thought to herself as she kissed him goodbye. She then turned to Lucius who had appeared a moment before so as to say goodbye to his wife. An awkward moment arrived as they looked at one another, neither one really knowing what to do right then. Lucius then gave Narcissa a quick peck on the cheek and she turned and made her way down the steps and into the waiting carriage. She waved a final goodbye and couldn't help but feel sorry for Draco as she saw the despairing look upon his face.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco looked longingly after his mother as the carriage pulled down the lane. He would rather be anywhere else in the world at the moment, even at his Gran's house, than where he was. Out of the corner of his eye Draco could see his father turning towards him and he braced himself for whatever was in store for him.  
  
"Well, being that the weather is perfect at the moment why don't you get your broom and we'll practice a few more quidditch moves?"  
  
Draco groaned inwardly. He didn't say a word, but just slowly turned around and began to walk into the house and up the stairs.  
  
Lucius watched as his son made his way up the stairs looking very much like a prisoner being led to his own execution.  
  
"Master Malfoy, sir?" came a squeak from behind him. Lucius turned to see one of the house elves trembling and wringing its hands.  
  
"Well?" Lucius asked coldly.  
  
"Begging pardon, sir, but the Minister of Magic wishes to speak with you. He's in the fireplace in your study at the moment."  
  
"Tell him that I am busy and that I will get back to him later."  
  
The house elf began to tremble and wring its hands even more. "A thousand pardons, sir, but the Minister said that it is very important and that he must speak with you."  
  
Lucius glared angrily down at the house elf. "Very well." he hissed and as he walked past the elf and towards his study he said, "Now go punish yourself." Even though the elf had not really done anything wrong, Lucius still hated being contradicted and told that he must do something when he had intended on doing something else.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco had changed his clothes, grabbed his broom, and was now heading across the lawn to the pitch. When he reached it he did not see his father standing anywhere. He looked around, but there was no sign of him. Draco just shrugged and mounted his broom. He soared into the air and did a few warm up laps and dives around the pitch. Fifteen minutes passed and there was still no sign of his father. After waiting another ten minutes, a very bored and annoyed Draco flew back down to the ground, dismounted, and made his way back to the mansion. He wandered about, half-heartedly trying to find where his father was and why he hadn't come out to the pitch. Upon approaching Lucius' study Draco could hear the familiar voice of the Minister of Magic within. He couldn't understand what was being said as the Minister's voice was muffled, so Draco decided to quietly push the door open a bit so that he could peak in and see what was going on. He knew that whatever it was it couldn't be extremely important and hush hush as his father would then have locked the door to keep everyone out.  
  
As Draco pushed the door open it squeaked on its old hinges. Lucius looked up from where he was sitting before the fire and saw his son standing within the doorway, holding his broom. Lucius suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be giving his son another lesson in Quidditch skills. He had been so caught up in the discussion with Cornelius Fudge that he had completely forgotten.  
  
"Oh! Draco, I'm sorry, I forgot about you."  
  
"Typical." Draco thought to himself.  
  
Lucius could see the look on his face and he suddenly felt guilty. He then looked up at the clock on the mantle and saw that it was getting late. By the time he would be able to finish with the Minister it would be supper time and then it would be too late to do any quidditch as the sun would have gone. "Ah, Draco, I have to talk with the Minister, so how about we practice tomorrow?"  
  
Draco just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever." He then turned around and left, shutting the door behind him. Lucius was now feeling really guilty and a bit angry towards Fudge as he was the one who had caused him to forget about his son.  
  
"Lucius?" Fudge asked tentatively.  
  
"What?" Lucius said bringing himself back to reality and refocusing his attention on the Minister's head which was floating within the flames of the fire.  
  
"Are you all right? You didn't hear what I said a moment ago."  
  
"I'm fine. What was it that you said?"  
  
* * *  
  
Draco slowly walked to his room to deposit his Nimbus 2001 and to change his clothes yet again. He couldn't understand it, but at that moment he was feeling strange. In fact, he thought he was feeling a bit disappointed. Why would that be? After all, he wound up not having to endure another practice session with his father. That was good, wasn't it? He had dreaded the session, but for some reason the fact that his father had forgotten about him had really bothered him.  
  
"What's the big deal?" he asked himself, annoyed that he was allowing this little thing to bother him so much. "It's not like this is the first time he's forgotten about me. Come on, you're sixteen, you don't need to do things with Daddy anymore." Draco flopped onto his bed and let out an exasperated sigh.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco felt very small as he sat at the massive dining room table alone. His father had not entered the dining hall yet for supper, so Draco sat, waiting. He hoped that his father would hurry up so that he could start eating because he was starving.  
  
"He's probably forgotten that I'd like to eat like he forgets about everything else." Draco thought angrily to himself.  
  
He waited a couple more minutes and was about to order the house elves to start serving his supper when his father finally entered the room. Lucius quickly approached his chair and sat down. He looked over at his son who had not begun eating yet. Lucius gave an apologetic smile and said,  
  
"Thank you for waiting."  
  
Draco said nothing but merely turned his face away and looked down at his place setting. In a moment a bowl of soup appeared. Draco picked up a peice of brown bread, tore off a chunk, and dipped it in the soup. Lucius continued to look at him.  
  
"I apologize again for this afternoon, Draco."  
  
Draco didn't even look up, but just shrugged his shoulders and kept eating. Lucius did not really like the seeming indifference that Draco showed towards his apology. After all, It wasn't every day that Lucius apologized. He wasn't used to it and really hated saying it. Didn't Draco realize just how difficult it was for him to say that he was sorry for anything?  
  
"I brought you back something from Munich." Lucius said. He was pleased when Draco's face perked up as he looked over at him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a new chess set."  
  
"Oh." Draco said unenthusiastically. Once, years ago, Draco had made the mistake of saying in front of his father that he liked chess and unusul chess sets. From then on it seemed that that was what his father always bought him. It wasn't because he really cared that Draco liked chess and so spent his time trying to find the most unusual sets for him, but was more that Lucius had no idea what else Draco was interested in and so chess sets were always the best bet when he was stuck getting Draco a gift.  
  
"I thought that we could play a few matches of chess tonight after supper."  
  
"Oh, I can't tonight." Draco replied as he took another bite of soup- soaked bread.  
  
"Why is that?" Lucius asked.  
  
"I'm going with my friends to a party." Draco said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Excuse me? And who is throwing this party?"  
  
"Marcus Flint and the rest of the Quidditch team."  
  
"Well, then you're not going." Lucius said as he took a sip of his wine.  
  
Draco looked up at his father and was silent for a moment as he processed what his father had just said. "What?"  
  
"I said that you're not going."  
  
"Father.." Draco began in a bit of disbelief.  
  
Lucius held up his hand for silence. "Draco, I don't want to hear any arguments. I know what those kinds of parties are like; especially since it's being thrown by a bunch of older people. There's going to be plenty of drinking and I'm sure drugs, so you're not going."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Lucius was surprised to hear Draco arguing further.  
  
"It's not like I haven't been around the stuff before."  
  
Lucius put the spoonful of soup that he was about to eat down as he looked hard at Draco. "You've what?"  
  
"Father, I don't do drugs and I don't drink. I just go and hang out with my friends."  
  
"Well, you're not going to "hang out" with them tonight."  
  
"Why not?" Draco's temper was beginning to rise. "What is it? You don't trust me?"  
  
"That's not the point, Draco. Marcus and the other members of the team are much older than you are and will most likely try to pressure you into drinking or taking some drugs."  
  
"Oh my god!" Draco said as he rolled his eyes and let his spoon fall with a loud clank upon the side of his bowl.  
  
"Draco Malfoy!" Lucius shouted angrily at his son's blatant show of disrespect.  
  
Draco jumped at the sound of his father's angry voice.  
  
"I will not have you disrespecting me like this." Lucius said in a chillingly controlled voice.  
  
Draco glared at his father which only served to make Lucius feel angrier. Lucius was surprised at how fast he was beginning to revert back to his short and hot temper. The feeling was unsettling, but for now he couldn't keep it down.  
  
"I don't want you anywhere near parties like that. Do you understand?"  
  
"I'm sixteen years old. I'm not a little child anymore. And, unlike what you may think, I am not so weak-willed as to give in to the slightest bit of peer pressure."  
  
"You are not going and I don't want to hear another word about it." Lucius hissed.  
  
"Mum would let me go." Draco muttered to himself, but not quietly enough.  
  
Lucius let out an angry sigh of breath. He was not used to Draco contradicting him like this. "Well, she isn't here is she? And even if she was you still wouldn't be going. As a matter of fact, you won't be going to these parties again. And you will no longer be friends with Flint or any other of the team members."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Obviously they haven't been a good influenc on you. From now on you will restrict yourself to the friends that are your own age."  
  
"You can't do that! I haven't done anything wrong! Why are you being so unreasonable?!"  
  
"I'm your father; I'm allowed to."  
  
Draco was absolutely seething. He was so angry that he couldn't think of anything to say. He just sat, staring at the soup bowl, clenching and unclenching his jaw. What right did his father have to suddenly make up these new rules. He gone to several parties before with his friends and his mother had never minded. She trusted him not to do anything stupid. But now his father had arbitrarily decided that he was not to be trusted and that he was no longer allowed to go to the parties that he had been going to since he was fourteen. He was suddenly not hungry at all.  
  
"May I be excused?" he said icily.  
  
"No." Lucius replied . "You eat your supper."  
  
Draco became even angrier. He was furious over the fact that his father was treating him like he was a little child. With one last deathly glare at his father Draco stood up from his chair and stormed out of the room.  
  
Lucius said nothing but just watched as his fuming son left. He then leaned back against his chair and gave a frustrated sigh. He then lifted the glass of wine from the table and downed its entire contents. He could tell that he was definitely not very good at the whole parenting thing. How was he going to fix that?  
  
* * *  
  
"So my oh-so-wonderful-father has had his "nice" spell broken. He's band me from ever going to another party and we're apparently not supposed to be friends anymore." Draco said to the head of Marcus Flint which was in his fireplace.  
  
"It sounds like your father has really lost it."  
  
"Ya think?" Draco replied sarcastically. He then flopped down on his couch. "Well, I suppose you had better go. Try not to have too much fun without me."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I told you, I can't go."  
  
"Of course you can. Just sneak out. Wait until you feel that it's safe and then sneak out. It's easy."  
  
"I don't know, Marcus. If my father catches me he'll skin me alive."  
  
"Then don't get caught."  
  
Draco remained silent as he pondered over Marcus' suggestion. If he snuck out he could have the time of his life and either get away with it or get caught and then who knows what would happen. Either way, at least he would have had some fun. The only other option was to sit in his room all night and stew in his own misery. Draco came to a decision.  
  
"I'll be there, Marcus."  
  
"Cool I'll set up a portkey for you because it's quite a bit of distance from where you are."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"See ya then. And hey, good luck."  
  
* * *  
It was nearly half ten when Draco finally decided that it was safe enough for him to sneak out of the house. He figured that his father was going to come in and punish him or, heaven forbid, have a little heart- heart chat, he would have done it by now. Draco moved the pillows and blankets on his bed to make it look like he was buried under the covers, asleep. He then crossed the dark room and opened the window which was fairly close to a large tree. He climbed through the window and perched himself upon its edge. He looked down to see the distant ground underneath him. He was only two stories up, but it seemed much higher. He then judged the distance from window ledge to the tree and jumped. He landed steadily on a thick branch and was able to grab hold of the trunk. He then proceeded to scurry down to the ground and made his way across the grounds in the direction of the portkey that was to transport him to the place where the party was to be at.  
  
* * *  
The fight with Draco had bothered Lucius all evening. He had sat for several hours in his study, sipping scotch and brooding. He knew that he hadn't been a good father. He never had been and he figured that there wasn't a chance that he would be winning the Father-of-the-year award any time soon. He wanted very much to go talk to Draco and make everything right, but he knew that Draco wasn't going to want to see him now. So, he just remained in his study until around half ten when he decided to retire to his bed chamber. In order to reach hs room he had to pass Draco's on the way. Lucius paused at the door. He pondered as to whether or not he should go in. There was no way that he was going to apologize to Draco as he felt that he was in the right, but he did want to make some sort of reconciliation.  
  
He slowly opened the door and peered in. The lights were out and he could see that Draco was in bed. Either asleep or pretending to be. Lucius walked slowly over to the figure and remained standing over it for several moments. He suddenly shivered slightly as a cold breeze flowed through the open window. Lucius walked over to shut it. As he reached it his eye caught the sight of a small figure running from the tree that sat just outside the window and arond the house. Lucius rushed over to the figure that was in the bed and pulled the blankets down. As he expected, pillows. Lucius was about to apparate in order ti cut off his son, but then something inside him told him not to. He would wait and catch Draco in the act of sneaking back inside the house. He calmly walked to his bed chambers, poured a glass of wine, and picked up a book. And thus he waited patiently for his disobedient son to drag himself home.  
  
* * *  
  
Thanks guys for being so patient with me. School has been really busy and I've been travelling a bit. But, here it finally is. I hope you enjoyed it. I know that I promised you a drunk Draco in this chapter, but it didn't work out because I completely changed it. Drunk Draco is coming in the next chapter. It definitely should not take me so long in getting the next chapter posted. At least I hope it doesn't. Please be patient as things are going to become very busy for me for the next couple of weeks. I have two essay tests, a take-home essay, and a 1500 word book review to write. Things will calm down by the 7th of November and I will be able to focus more on the story. Thanks again for being so patient with me. 


	15. Quality Time

Chapter Fifteen: Quality Time  
  
It was four in the morning. The loud chiming of the great-grandfather clock pulled Lucius from his dozing back into a fully awake state. He quickly rubbed his eyes, re-shifted himself in the arm chair and then refocused upon the book that he was holding in his hands.  
  
Chapter 12: Dealing With the Rebellious Teenage Wizard  
  
One of the most common mistakes made by wizarding parents is believing that their teenager's rebellious behavior is merely an attempt to break away from their authority, to challenge their rules, and to blatantly disregard respect for their parents. However, the rebellious actions taken by most young magical adolescents are in fact a cry for attention or help.  
  
Lucius raised an eyebrow at this sentence. A few hours ago, as Lucius sat by the blazing fire in his room, pondering what course of action to take in dealing with Draco's disobedience and really having no clue as to what to do, he remembered how Narcissa had bought every wizard parenting book and magazine she could find once they had discovered that they were to have a son. Narcissa had read them religiously. She had tried to get Lucius to read them as well but he didn't want anything to do with it. After all, how hard could it be to raise your own child? If anything difficult arose he would just leave it to his wife or the nannies. But now Narcissa was away and the nannies were long gone. Lucius was faced with the prospect of having to deal with his disobedient son alone and he really didn't know the right way to go about it. So he decided to search for the parenting literature that Narcissa had so faithfully acquired and read.  
  
It had not taken long for Lucius to find the stack of magazines and the pile of books. They were in the section of the library that Narcissa had reserved for herself. It was only a couple of shelves but they were full of what Lucius termed "women's" books. Romance novels, self- improvement, home decorating, and, of course, parenting. Lucius spent a few minutes looking through the different titles; trying to find the right book that would help him deal with this particular situation. After all, he wanted to change. Before he would have simply punished Draco by taking away privileges and sending him to his room, but now a more diplomatic approach seemed best suited for this type of situation, so he searched through Narcissa's parenting books.  
  
So, You're Expecting a Little Wizard!, "No, already got him", What Happens When Magical Babies Throw Tantrums, "As I recall pieces of furniture either went flying across the room, smashing into tiny bits, or burst into flames". As Lucius recalled Draco had had quite a few tantrums as a baby. However, Draco was no longer a baby, so he had skimmed ahead until he had found what sounded to be the most fitting book, How to Survive Your Teenage Wizard. "Perfect."  
  
So now, at four in the morning, Lucius sat, learning about all the do's and don'ts of dealing with teenagers. He was halfway through reading about the different attention-seeking techniques used by young teenagers when he heard a sort of muffled shuffling sound coming from the hall outside the library. Lucius lowered the book and looked curiously at the shut door, outside of which the sound was coming. It was far too early for the servants to be bustling about and a house elf certainly couldn't make that much noise. Lucius slowly rose out of his chair to investigate but soon rushed to the door after a loud crashing sound. He quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He squinted his eyes slightly as to focus his sight in the dimly lit hall. Only a few yards away he could make out the shapes of two hulking figures who held a much leaner figure between them. Lucius immediately recognized the leaner figure to be that of Draco. His arms were swung around the shoulders of his two bulky companions, his body hanging limp.  
  
"You idiot, Greg!" hissed one figure, "That noise could have woken Mr. Malfoy up!"  
  
"I didn't mean to knock over the vase, Vince." Gregory Goyle said defensively, "It was an accident, I tripped. Draco's not as light as he looks."  
  
"If Mr. Malfoy catches us with Draco in this state he'll skin us alive."  
  
"Well then let's hurry up and get him to his room." Goyle said as he re-shifted Draco's arm around his shoulder. As he did so Draco began to mumble undiscernibly.  
  
"That's right, Draco, we're taking you to your room." Vincent Crabbe said as they began to move. Draco mumbled again. "God! He's pissed out of his head!" Crabbe laughed. "No more drinking for you, boy. You can't handle it."  
  
None of the boys noticed the dark figure which angrily stalked up behind them.  
  
"Just what the hell is going on here!"  
  
Crabbe and Goyle spun around to look up at the infuriated eyes of Lucius Malfoy. Unconsciously they both let go of Draco who promptly fell against the wall and slid down to the floor. For a second both boys were stunned and unable to move or think, petrified at the sight of the seething father.  
  
"Well?!" he barked, "Why is my son drunk?!"  
  
Neither boy answered.  
  
"Run away!" Crabbe yelled as they both took off at a run down the hall.  
  
Lucius decided to deal with them later. Right now he had to deal with the mass that lay moaning on the floor and smelling pungently of alcohol. Lucius knelt down, grabbed Draco by the shoulders, and pulled him up to a sitting position. Draco's head lolled limply to the side. Lucius took his son's head in his hands and lifted it up; he then began to tap the sides of Draco's face with one hand while he kept his son's head up with the other.  
  
"Draco.Draco.Come on, wake up. Open your eyes and look at me." Draco just groaned. "Draco, come on!" He shook Draco's head slightly and tapped his face a bit harder. "Draco!" Finally Draco began to respond. His eyes opened into tiny slits and Lucius could see that they were completely glazed over and unfocused. "Draco, you really are out of it aren't you?!" A sort of grunting sound came as Lucius' reply. "Come on, let's get you upstairs." Draco mumbled something that sounded close to being, "No, I want to stay here." "No, Draco, you can't stay here." With that Lucius grabbed Draco under the arms and hoisted him up to a standing position. This proved to be rather difficult as Draco was as limp as a rag doll; a surprisingly heavy rag doll at that. Lucius then threw Draco's arm around his neck and placing his own arm around his waist in order to hold him up. He then proceeded to move, having to practically drag a moaning and groaning Draco along with him.  
  
It was very slow going. It seemed to take years before Lucius managed to reach the stairs. He stopped for a few moments to rest before the long haul up the steps. He then proceeded to ascend the giant stairway, taking each step at a time. By the time he had reached the top He was completely exhausted, however, Draco had seemed to begin to regain his feet under him. He was no longer hanging onto Lucius like a limp rag doll, but was putting some of his weight onto his own legs. Lucius thanked God for that.  
  
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Lucius made it to Draco's room. "Great." Lucius thought as he made his way across the dark room. "I'll just deposit him in his bed and let him sleep it off." However, it was not going to be that simple for poor Lucius. He had just reached the side of Draco's bed when suddenly Draco's body lurched and Lucius heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting. Lucius stood still and just closed his eyes. He could feel warm liquid beginning to seep through his shirt. Lucius opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh of frustration and annoyance. "Great, just great. Thank you, Draco. This evening just wouldn't be complete without a bit of vomiting." At that precise moment Draco gave another lurch. Lucius was just able to move out of the way before it hit him. Draco gave a few gagging coughs. Lucius quickly turned around and led Draco to the bathroom before anymore vomiting could occur. As soon as he ordered the lights on in the bathroom, Draco began lurching and coughing again.  
  
"Hold on!" Lucius managed to get Draco to the toilet and down on his knees before the fresh barrage of vomit could come forth. Lucius sighed in relief. Having left his wand in the library, Lucius had to pick up a towel that lay at the sink in order to clean himself off as best he could. His face contracted into a look of pure disgust as he wiped at the wet spot on his shirt. Draco sat on the cold, tiled floor, wrenching his guts out. In between pukings, Draco would rest his head in one of his hands and rock slightly back and forth, groaning as if he were dying a painful death.  
  
Lucius stood there, looking apprehensively at his son. He had never dealt with anyone who was sick or drunk before. Even when Narcissa had morning sickness while she was pregnant with Draco, it was the servants who attended to her. With this thought, Lucius was about to step out and call for a servant when he heard Draco beginning to whimper, his face contorted as if he were about to cry, his hand clutching his stomach. Lucius walked over and tentatively knelt down by his son. He had no idea how to deal with this. Maybe there was something in Narcissa's parenting books that would tell him how to deal with an overly drunk, and miserable teenager. He was about to get up to retrieve the book when he heard a very low and unmistakable, "Dad." Lucius looked back over to see Draco gazing directly at him, a look of complete misery on his face. "Dad." Draco was unable to continue as he promptly wrenched again into the toilet. He coughed and spat and groaned. Lucius slowly put a hand on Draco's back and patted it lightly. "Okay. Okay then." This was very uncomfortable and very strange feeling as Lucius had never consoled or comforted anyone in his life.  
  
Draco drew back his head and laid it down on the cool toilet seat; a place where no face should go. Lucius pushed back the hair that hung in Draco's face and thereby noticed just how hot his cheeks were. He quickly felt his forehead which was very warm indeed. Lucius quickly stood and grabbed a small towel which he soaked in cool water. He then proceeded to place it on his son's forehead and dab it around his face. Draco seemed quite content with this. His eyes were closed and his vomiting seemed to be calming down. In fact, Lucius would have thought that Draco had fallen asleep on the toilet had it not been for the occasional moments when his eyes would open and he would shift his head or mumble something unintelligible.  
  
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided that I would like to spend more quality time with Draco." Lucius thought as he refreshed the wet towel. "However, it's not so bad. There's no bonding experience quite like getting puked on."  
  
* * *  
  
Okay guys, I finally got the chapter written. Sorry it's not that thrilling. In the next chapter Draco wakes up the next morning with a mother of a hangover. Why exactly did Draco get drunk? What did he do while he was drunk? What kind of drunk is he? How's his father going to deal with his rebellious son the next morning. Flashbacks and facing dear old dad all in the next chapter.  
  
I would like to apologize for this chapter not appearing sooner. College, traveling, and a serious lack of wanting to sit at a computer and write caused me to procrastinate on this chapter. For that I am truly sorry. However, I am back, and I promise many laughs to come in the upcoming chapter. Thanks guys for remaining so patient. 


	16. Getting Up

Chapter Sixteen: Getting Up  
  
It was 11:00 when Lucius finally decided that it was time for his son to wake up. Lucius had come to the conclusion that he was not going to simply confront Draco about his misbehavior, but was instead was going to manipulate his son into actually confessing his disobedience. Lucius knew that Draco would never come right out and say what he had done the night before, and Lucius was not going to make it easy for him by simply confronting him. No, Lucius was going to make Draco suffer a bit and force him to admit his wrong-doing. If there was anything that Lucius really hated it was the thought of someone hiding something from him and he knew that Draco would do his best to hide last night's festivities. So, he was going to employ some strategies in order to coerce a confession from his son.  
  
"Actually," Lucius thought as he walked through the halls in the direction of his son's room, an evil/mischievous grin stretching across his face, "I think 'torture' would be a better word to describe what I am going to do to that boy." After what he had been through last night, such as practically having no sleep and also having to deal with a drunk Draco who managed to puke all over his shirt, Lucius felt that he deserved to have a little fun messing with his son. Of course, this would only work as long as Draco didn't remember who it was who took care of him in those early morning hours. But with as drunk as Draco was, Lucius was sure that he would not be recalling much.  
  
(A/N: Okay, this is just in case you guys are thinking that what I mean by 'torture' and 'having fun messing with Draco' is that Lucius is going to whip him or abuse him some other way, then let me just say now that you are wrong. Lucius has never and will never physically harm Draco. This is just so you're clear. Read on to see what I actually mean by 'torture'.)  
  
Lucius quietly opened the door to Draco's bedroom and stepped in. He then walked over to the side of Draco's bed and peered down at the still, sleeping form. Draco was stretched out on his stomach, the bed covers twisted around him. Lucius grimaced as the very unpleasant smell of alcohol and vomit assaulted his nose with great force. Draco certainly smelled bad.  
  
After a moment Lucius left the side of Draco's bed and made his way to the large window that rested directly across from the bed.  
  
"Well, here we go." Lucius muttered quietly to himself. He then grabbed a hold of the curtains and vigorously pushed them open at the same time as he said in a slightly- louder- than- was- necessary voice, "Draco, it's late! It's long past time for you to get up."  
Draco jerked awake at the sudden noise. It was very unfortunate for him that he had been sleeping with his head facing towards the window, because the moment that the curtains were open the bright rays of the sun came glaring on his face causing him to barely be able to open his eyes. He was very disoriented for several moments, having been jolted out of his sleep, and all he could do was squint up confusedly at the figure that stood in front of his window. Suddenly Draco felt a pounding begin in his head, he noticed that his mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it, his stomach was raw and nauseous feeling, he was dizzy, his eyes were unfocused, and to top it all off he felt really filmy and noticed that he smelled very unpleasant. This smell caused his stomach to churn even more and his head to pound even harder. All of these ailments hit Draco at once, causing him to groan and close his eyes. He turned his face away from the bright window and proceeded to bury his head under the pillows.  
  
"Come now, Draco, you've slept long enough. You know you are not supposed to sleep in this late."  
  
All Lucius could hear in response was a very muffled mumble. He then proceeded to go around Draco's bed and pull the pillows off his son's head. Draco whined in protest as he pulled the covers over his head.  
  
"Draco!" Lucius said a little more forcefully, "Get up! Brunch is waiting for us downstairs."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Came the groan from under the covers.  
  
"Are you sure?" Lucius replied with a slightly evil grin beginning to spread across his face. "I had the house elves make those chocolate chip pancakes that you insist on eating."  
  
There was a loud groan.  
  
"There are also some thick rashers, sausages, extra greasy..."  
  
Groaning...  
  
"French Toast with plenty of powdered sugar and strawberry syrup..."  
  
Draco was now sounding as if someone was killing him. He squirmed towards his pillows and re-buried his head deep beneath them.  
  
Lucius could not make out the words that were then mumbled, more like whined, next. They sounded strangely like the language that toddlers use before they can actually talk properly.  
  
"Draco, I can't hear you through the pillows."  
  
Draco's head slowly re-appeared, his eyes barely opened into tiny slits. "I said I don't want anything to eat." His head, which felt like it weighed thirty pounds, then collapsed onto the pillow and he closed his eyes, hoping against hope that his father would just leave.  
  
Lucius felt a twinge of pity for Draco. He certainly looked miserable. Lucius had a potion that would relieve his son's hangover instantly, however, he was not going to allow Draco any comfort until he confessed to the previous night.  
  
"What's wrong, Draco? Are you not feeling well?" Lucius asked, trying his best to make his voice sound concerned.  
  
Draco was about to answer affirmatively, but was cut off.  
  
"Because, if you aren't feeling well then I could summon Dr. Mosby. He'll be able to tell right away what is wrong with you and take care of whatever it is. He's very good at identifying and curing common ailments; colds, the flu, the measles, a hangover..." Lucius emphasized this word, "any stomach virus..."  
  
Draco knew that there was nothing he could do. He had to pretend that there was nothing wrong with him because if Dr. Murphy examined him he would quickly discover the reason for his "illness". And judging by his father's behavior, Lucius seemed to have no idea what he had done the night before. Come to think of it, Draco was having trouble recalling what he had done himself. For a moment, Draco wondered just how he got back home. Who brought him home and how did they manage sneaking him back into the manor?  
  
"Well?" Lucius said, interrupting Draco's thoughts. "Should I summon Dr. Mosby?"  
  
"No." Draco quickly replied. "I'm just tired. I'll get up." He muttered grudgingly.  
  
"Good." Lucius nodded.  
  
Draco began pushing the blankets off him, but this proved to be quite difficult as they were twisted around him rather well. Lucius tried not to laugh as he observed his son fighting with the blankets.  
  
"Having trouble?"  
  
Draco just gave him a murderous glare. Finally he managed to loosen himself from the covers. He then reluctantly swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. He had to suppress a groan as he did so. If it was possible, the pulsating pain in his head became worse. He felt as if his head was about to fall off, and a part of him wished it actually would. He propped his elbows on his knees and then rested his face in his hands. "Why?" he asked himself, "Why, did I do this to myself?"  
  
*FLACHBACK*  
  
"Come on, Draco, one little drink isn't going to kill you." Marcus Flint said, two pints in his hands and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  
  
"No, thanks, Marcus, but I shouldn't."  
  
"What? Afraid of what your father would say? Draco, it's only one drink. Besides you've already snuck out of the house against your father's wishes, might as well live it up."  
  
"No, Marcus, I don't really care about drinking."  
  
"Alright." Marcus replied, "Have it your way." He then turned to one side and handed one of the pints off to a very grateful girl. He then turned back to Draco, draped a lazy arm over his shoulders, and began to lead him to a corner where most of their group had migrated. "Draco, you need to loosen up a bit. You look as if the grim reaper was hot on your trail."  
  
This was only the first pub that they had entered that night, as the group had decided to do a pub crawl before they started their house party, and Draco could tell that Marcus was already half-lit. Marcus drank a lot and it usually didn't take long before he had downed a few drinks and would begin his buzz.  
  
"What's your grief tonight, Malfoy?"  
  
"I just have a bad feeling. I keep expecting to turn around and see my father standing there."  
  
"Ah, your dad has no idea that you're gone. And even if he did show up we'll all swear that we broke into your room and nabbed you against your will. Isn't that right?" He added, addressing the group. The whole group responded with an energetic "yes", even though they had no idea what Marcus had been going on about.  
  
"See?" Marcus said as he turned back to Draco, who just gave a half smile. "You know what, I'm going to get you a drink and this time you're drinking it! I don't care if you say 'no', you're drinking because you need to untwist your knickers and have some fun."  
  
Draco tried to protest, but to no avail.  
  
"No, I don't want to hear it. Draco, this is your first night of teenage rebellion and you're going to do it right!"  
  
Marcus turned around to go back to the bar to get another pint and almost knocked into Goyle who was carrying a full one. "Ah, thank you." Before Goyle could protest, Marcus had taken the pint out of his hands and handed it to Draco.  
  
"Everyone!" Marcus said as he stood on a chair. "May I have your attention?"  
  
Draco thanked God, and whoever else was up there, that there were only a handful of other people in the pub who were not a part of the group as he felt that he was about to be embarrassed.  
  
The pub that they were in was located very near Knockturn alley which caused it to not have very good business, as people preferred to stay away from that area. People who frequented Knockturn Alley avoided the pub as well as it was situated too near Diagon Alley. As a result of the poor, regular business, the bartender never cared when under aged customers came in. He didn't care what age they were, just as long as they paid.  
  
"Let us all raise our glasses as Draco loses his virginity.."  
  
There came a few whistles and Draco looked as if he were about to murder Marcus.  
  
"Not like that, you sick perverts! God!" Marcus said in a disgusted tone. "Tonight, Draco drinks!" Loud cheers. "To Draco!"  
  
Everyone waited for Draco to take his drink before them. Draco was absolutely fuming. Marcus had just made an absolute fool of him in front of everyone. He was so angry that before he realized it, he took a large swig from his pint. Everyone cheered and followed suit.  
  
Suddenly the shock of the bitter taste in his mouth registered in his mind and his face screwed up as he coughed.  
  
Marcus was laughing as he stepped off the chair and back towards Draco.  
  
"Marcus," Draco hissed, "I'm going to fucking kill you!"  
  
"Not until you finish the pint." Marcus laughed and winked as he walked off to join a group of young girls.  
  
Draco looked down at the nasty brown liquid that he held in his hand. For several moments he just stared at it. He then looked up and saw the members of the group laughing, chatting, drinking, and generally having a good time amongst themselves. He then looked back down at his drink.  
  
"Oh, what the hell." He muttered as he took another large gulp, forcing the revolting liquid down his throat. "Yuck! How do people actually enjoy this stuff?"  
  
* END OF FLASHBACK*  
  
Draco rubbed his head as the memory faded. At that moment he didn't want to think about the taste or smell of alcohol as it made his head pound harder and his stomach churn fatser.  
  
"Are you getting up or are you just going to sit there all day?" Lucius asked.  
  
"I'm getting up." Draco grumbled as he began to struggle to his feet.  
  
"Good." Lucius felt satisfied that Draco would not instead lay back down and go to sleep. He turned and started to leave, but then turned back around with a quizzical look upon his face. "Oh, by the way, what is that smell in here?" he asked, knowing perfectly well what 'that smell' was.  
  
Draco's stomach flipped and his heart beat a little faster as he knew that he reeked of alcohol and only hoped that his father would not correctly identify the smell. "Um.uh.I don't smell anything." He replied lamely as he tried to look as innocent as could be.  
  
"Hm." Lucius muttered as he arched an eyebrow. "There's definitely a smell in here. I'll have the house elves give it a good airing out today." He then turned and proceeded to the doorway.  
  
Just before he exited, Lucius looked back and saw Draco struggling to stand up from the bed. After a couple of tries he managed to get up and then, groaning, he began to stumble and sway his way towards the bathroom, eyes barely open and his hair sticking every which way. Lucius had to suppress a laugh when he saw Draco attempt to enter his bathroom. Instead of walking straight through the doorway, Draco smacked his left side against the doorframe, causing him to stumble back a couple of steps. However, he seemed completely unfazed as he attempted to walk through the door again, this time making it.  
  
"That poor kid." Lucius thought as he shook his head and shut the bedroom  
door.  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and to those who have made suggestions. I thank you for your patience. I know that it's really annoying when one of your favorite stories doesn't get updated often enough, and I apologize for that, but stupid classes, paper writing and test studying seem to get in the way a lot. I'll try and be a lot more regular.  
  
However, this means that my chapters are going to be shorter. For instance, Draco's drunken night and the day after are going to be broken up into several chapters. This way you will be able to read them sooner. Otherwise it would take me forever to get it up as there is a lot that I am going to write about it.  
  
Question: Should I revamp the earlier chapters and make it to where Narcissa isn't exactly accepting her husband's change very well? So, when she leaves on a "supposed" emergency, it's really just so she can get out of the house and away from Lucius. And then when she comes back, and Draco finds out why she left, he'll complain that he has abandonment issues now and has to go through therapy. What do you guys think?  
  
Thanks so much again to all of you who read my story and to those who have reviewed and made suggestions. Love you all.  
  
Oh, and as a response to a question; no, this will not be a Draco/Harry story. Draco is straight as an arrow. I'm not sure if much later he's going to get a girl. His parents are definitely going to start pestering him about it though. 


	17. Getting Started

Author's Note:  
  
Thank you to everyone who has read my story and to all who have reviewed. Thank you for being so patient with me once again. Sorry that this chapter was so long in coming, but school has been crazy. I've just finished my thirty page senior thesis and like a zillion other crazy papers and tests.  
  
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see happen, please let me know.  
  
Thanks again. Love you all.  
  
Chapter Seventeen: Getting Started  
  
Flashback:  
  
"How much further, Flint?" came a whine from the back of the large group of young people who were currently migrating through the streets of wizarding London.  
  
"Not much." Flint yelled over his shoulder in response.  
  
"This place had better be worth it." Came another grumbling voice within the group, "You failed to mention that this pub is clear on the other side of London."  
  
"We've only been walking for fifteen minutes." Flint shot back. "Geez, suck it up!"  
  
Several minutes later.....  
  
"You sure you know where you're going?"  
  
SMACK!!!!  
  
"Ow! I was only asking. Damn."......  
  
"You're awfully quiet; you okay?" Flint asked as came up next to Draco.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just really tired for some reason." Draco replied in a rather worn out tone.  
  
"How many beers did you have?"  
  
"One."  
  
"Well, no wonder." Flint scoffed. "One beer! That's why you're tired."  
  
Draco gave Flint a sideways glare. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Some people get sleepy when they start drinking."  
  
"I thought you said that drinking was supposed to help you have a good time."  
  
"It does, when you've had the right amount. You just need to get a few more beers in ya and you'll perk up." Flint patted Draco's shoulder a couple of times and then gave him a playful shove. Draco stumbled a couple of steps and, as a result, collided hard into a passing body.  
  
Draco quickly turned around to face the person he had just bumped into. "Excuse...me." Draco stared in disbelief at the person who was currently trying to regain their balance before him.  
  
"Watch where you're going, Malfoy!"  
  
Draco's look of stunned disbelief quickly turned into an expression of complete distaste as he glared at the flaming red head of Ron Weasley who stepped a couple of paces forward.  
  
To Draco's immense bad luck, he had knocked into Harry Potter, perhaps his least favorite person in the world. Actually, the position of his most hated person in the world was a tie between Potter and the Weasley. Granger wasn't too far behind though.  
  
"Oh, sod off, Weasel." Draco replied in a disgusted tone as his icy glare swept over Potter's group. The Mudblood was there next to Potter, glaring right back at him. He also recognized the Weasley twins, Fred and George, and the youngest redhead, Ginny. He recognized the rest of the group as being completely from Gryffindor, but only a few did he know by name.  
  
"Why don't you make me, ferret boy?"  
  
"Ron, stop." Harry said as he grabbed a hold of his friend's arm whilst he sent a glare in Draco's direction. "He's not worth it. Let's just go; your mother is probably wondering where we are."  
  
"Yes, trot off to mummy," Draco, taunted sarcastically, "she's probably worried sick 'cause it's way past your bed time."  
  
"Shut up, you slimy git." Granger said nastily.  
  
"Ooo, Granger, witty and original."  
  
Ron had just opened his mouth for a retort but was cut off by a comment made by a member of Draco's group.  
  
"Hold on; is that that Potter kid?!"  
  
For the first time Harry and the others turned their eyes to the people who stood on the side of the street, watching amusedly at the scene before them.  
  
"You're right, Marcus, he's not much to look at. A lot smaller than I expected." A few snickers exuded throughout the group. Draco smiled as he looked over at them.  
  
After a few moments several mouths opened in aw as recognition swept over the Gryffindor boys.  
  
"Are you Andy Beckons? As in THE Andy Beckons from the British Quidditch team?" Ron blurted out to one of the men who stood next to Flint.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." came the reply.  
  
"And you're Daryl Lynch!" Seamus Finnigen exclaimed as he pointed to another one of the men.  
  
"Guilty." was the response.  
  
"My God! Half the British team is standing right here in front of us!"  
  
Draco smirked at Potter and his friends. "Yes, Weasley, they are. However, I'm sure that they are getting quite bored of you gawking at them, so, if you'll excuse us, WE shall be on our way."  
  
"What's this, Malfoy?" Ron taunted just as Draco was beginning to turn around, "How much did daddy have to pay for these guys to hang out with you?"  
  
Draco quickly turned back around, his eyes narrowed in a menacing glare.  
  
"Must have set him back quite a few galleons to hire all these people to pretend to be friends with a little worm like you." Several laughs came from the group of Gryffindors.  
  
"Hey! You had better watch what you say you little punk!" Marcus said angrily as he stepped beside Draco.  
  
"Don't you call our brother a punk!" George, or was it Fred, said as he and his twin brother pushed forward.  
  
The bulky figures of Crabbe and Goyle stepped up threateningly beside Draco and Marcus and began cracking their knuckles.  
  
"What's this?" Fred sneered, "Going to set your idiot gorilla's on us, Malfoy?"  
  
"Hey!" Draco yelled, "They may be idiots, but they are my idiots; therefore, I, and only I, get to call them gorillas."  
  
"Oi!" Goyle, who happened to be a bit brighter than Crabbe and able to catch on to an insult, exclaimed indignantly.  
  
"Look, you all are being a bunch of idiots...." Hermione began to shout at them but was soon cut off by a yell from across the street.  
  
"What's going on over there?!"  
  
Everyone turned their gaze upon two dark, cloaked figures who began to approach them. Everyone quickly recognized these men as aurors and immediately began to shift about nervously like kids who had just gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  
  
"Now," one of the aurors said as they stopped and looked with narrowed, scrutinizing eyes upon the young people, "what is going on over here which makes you feel that it is so necessary for you to make so much noise?"  
  
"Nothing, sir." Several voices chorused.  
  
"Really?" everyone nodded their heads in unison. "Then I suggest that you carry on your "nothing" somewhere else before I take the lot of you in for unnecessary noise making."  
  
"Yes, sir. We're leaving right now." Flint said.  
  
"You do that."  
  
The aurors eyed the group and began to move away slowly. Several sighs of relief could be heard.  
  
"Come on," Daryl Lynch said, "let's just get to the pub so if we do wind up in a cell at least we would have enjoyed ourselves and have deserved it."  
  
Several sounds of agreement could be heard.  
  
"Yeah, lets go. Good time's wasting." Flint said as he began to turn around.  
  
Draco gave Harry, Ron, and Hermione one last cold glare before he began to follow Flint. Crabbe and Goyle grunted and cracked their knuckles as they followed Draco.  
  
"Study hard, Malfoy." Ron shouted to Draco's retreating form.  
  
"Ron, that's enough." Hermione chided. However, Ron didn't pay any attention to her.  
  
Draco turned about and looked questioningly at Ron.  
  
"You better learn as much as you can from those guys, 'cause come Quidditch season I think that Harry would finally like to have a challenge out there."  
  
"Oh, really, Weasley? I don't need pointers," Draco hissed, "because come Quidditch season you are going to see me kick Potter's ass."  
  
The entire group of Griffyndors snorted.  
  
"Yeah, right!" Harry laughed. "Sure, Malfoy, because that's happened, well? hmm? NEVER! If it wasn't for the fact that your father bought you the spot on the team you probably would have been kicked off a long time ago due to lack of talent."  
  
That was it for Draco. His anger snapped and he made to lunge at Potter, his only thought was of ripping his heart out and feeding it to him, but he found himself being held back by several pairs of arms. He struggled as hard as he could to get at Potter, but instead he was being pulled further and further away.  
  
"Hey! Come on, Draco, save it!" He heard someone yell at him. "The aurors are right around the corner; do you want them to arrest you over someone as stupid as Potter?"  
  
"I don't care!" Draco yelled as he struggled harder. He could see Potter and his group beginning to turn around and walk away. "Just let me at him!"  
  
"Draco, if you get arrested then you're father is going to find out that you snuck out of the house. Do you want that?"  
  
Draco immediately stopped struggling and after a moment he managed to reply through gritted teeth, "No."  
  
"Then come on. Forget about them. Let's just go get wasted, okay?"  
  
"Fine." He said reluctantly.  
  
"Alright, let's go." Marcus and the others released their hold on Draco and began to slowly make their way down the street.  
  
"Damn!" Draco vented, "There aren't any other people in this world that make me more angry than that freakin' golden trio."  
  
"I know, man." Marcus said as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.  
  
"I am so sick of them saying that my father bought my place on the team because he didn't." after a moment's pause, "Did he?" Draco looked uncertainly at Marcus."  
  
"Of course not, Draco. You earned that spot. You're a good Quidditch player. Your father didn't buy the Nimbus 2001s until after he found out that we placed you on the team; you know that."  
  
"Yeah. I'm just so fucking sick and tired of people saying that my father has to buy my way into everything; Quidditch, friends, just everything. It's not true."  
  
At that moment they reached McGinty's pub and entered it.  
  
"Just let those idiots think what they want. We all know it's not true."  
  
"It just makes me so damn mad!"  
  
"Well, let's get a bit more alcohol into you and then maybe you'll start to feel batter."  
  
"Yeah." Draco agreed. Just then a waitress was passing by with a tray full of beers and a few shot glasses. As she passed by in front of Draco he snatched up a shot from the tray and downed it in one gulp. Marcus stared at him unbelievingly as Draco immediately began to cough. His eyes watered as the drink burned its way down to his stomach.  
  
"Feel better?" Marcus asked.  
  
"Quite." Draco managed to croak out.  
  
"More?"  
  
"Please."  
  
End Flashback:  
  
Draco held one hand to his hot forehead while the other clutched his stomach as he emerged from the bathroom moaning and groaning. He had just spent the last forty-five minutes trying to clean up and get dressed.  
  
For a good twenty minutes he had struggled to remain upright in the shower without falling to the floor and cracking his head open; although it felt like his head had already been split open. Though it was quite a fight, Draco managed to not fall to the floor, but instead experienced some slight relief as the cool water caused his stomach to settle somewhat, his head not to pound as hard, the nauseating smell to leave him, and his body to cool down from the feverish warmth which he had been experiencing. However, the relief that he was feeling quickly left the moment he turned off the water. After several minutes of drying off and fighting his way into some clothes Draco sunk to the floor with his head in his hands. His stomach began to tighten and churn and before he knew it he found himself vomiting into the toilet. Each time became more painful as his stomach was raw and sore.  
  
After Draco felt like he had thrown up everything possible within his stomach, he managed to pull himself off the floor and make his way out of the bathroom.  
  
"I want to die." he whined to himself. "I just want to lay down and die."  
  
He paused for a moment as a new wave of nausea washed over him. After he was able to collect himself once again he made his way out through his bedroom door and proceeded down the hall to find his father.  
  
Once he came to the great staircase he paused and looked down.  
  
"Oh, dear God." He said to himself as his vision blurred slightly and he felt his head spin. He took a deep sigh and shuffled his way towards the stairs. With both hands he grabbed a hold of the wooden banister and leaned heavily upon it as he took a step down. A couple more steps and Draco felt as if he were going to collapse. So, instead of risking a deadly tumble down the steps, he instead sat down and scooted himself down one step at a time.  
  
After he reached the bottom Draco managed to find his feet again and proceeded to try and find his father. Unbeknownst to him his father had actually witnessed his entire descent down the stairs. As he watched his son having to sit and take one step at a time, a slight smile tugged at his lips.  
  
"This certainly isn't going to be too difficult."  
  
"Draco! There you are."  
  
Draco jumped and had to stifle a groan at his father's louder-than-normal voice.  
  
As Draco turned around Lucius marveled at how well his son was able to hide the fact that he was feeling absolutely miserable at the moment. If someone who really didn't know Draco gave him a quick glance they wouldn't be able to tell that he was suffering, but Lucius could see it in his son's eyes and by the tenseness of his body; not to mention the fact that the kid was as white as a vampire.  
  
"Are you sure you're feeling well, Draco? You look rather pale."  
  
"I'm fine." Draco replied as lightly as he could manage.  
  
"Very well then," Lucius continued, "I was planning on us spending the day together..."  
  
"Really?" Draco almost groaned.  
  
"Yes, but then I received word from the Ministry that they need me to sit in on a meeting this afternoon, so we would have to cancel today..."  
  
"Really?" this time Draco's tone was a bit happier and his face brightened up.  
  
"but then I thought, why don't you come with me?"  
  
"Really?" Draco had kept his smile but he talked through gritted teeth and his tone sounded a bit disappointed and annoyed. Lucius ignored this.  
  
"It occurred to me that you have never actually been to the Ministry of Magic and I thought that you would find it somewhat interesting. Plus, this will mean that we can still spend the day together."  
  
"Great." Draco replied in a tone which clearly showed that he thought his Father's idea was anything but great.  
  
"Wonderful." Lucius said a bit too cheerily. "I must collect some parchments from the study so I will meet you at the main entrance hall in just a couple of minutes."  
  
"Okay." Draco still maintained the forced grin on his face and kept it until his father's figure had disappeared around the corner. His face then immediately contorted into one of pain and almost anguish. It looked as if he were about to cry as he turned and slowly made his way towards the main entrance hall. He felt as if he wanted to cry. However, he only made a few soft whimpering sounds and when he reached the hall he quickly lowered himself into a chair and placed his throbbing head into his hands.  
  
"There's no way that I can survive today. There's just no bloody way. Maybe I should tell him about last night."  
  
"What?! Are you nuts?!" came a little, but loud voice inside his head. "You can't tell him!"  
  
"But I feel so sick. How in the world am I supposed to go traipsing about all day when I feel like shit?"  
  
"Well, you're just going to have to. Do you have any idea how mad he is going to get if he finds out what you've done? He may be acting really not himself lately but remember he is still the same man who gets really pissed when you talk back to him. Remember how angry he got when you tried to alter your marks so he wouldn't find out that you almost failed Herbology? Well, this is like ten times worse than that. Whatever, you do, DON'T LET HIM FIND OUT!"  
  
Draco decided to take his own advice and finished arguing with himself when he heard the distinctive clicks of his father's boots across the hard floor. Draco quickly stood up but immediately regretted it as his vision swam in front of him and he swayed unsteadily.  
  
"Okay, next time a bit slower." He thought to himself as he regained his balance and his vision cleared.  
  
"Ready to go?" Lucius asked as he began to walk towards the great doors. 


	18. Just a Little Bit Tipsy

Author's Note: I'VE EDITED THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CHAPTERS!  
  
Well, I'm back. This past Saturday I graduated from college so now I hope that I will have more time to write on this story.  
  
Thank you to all my reviewers and to everyone who reads and likes this story. Please review again because I love to see the number of reviews climb. I am so jealous of people who have like 500 reviews. But each one of my reviews have been really lovely and I have enjoyed each one. Keep them coming. And once again, if you have any suggestions, please tell me.  
  
HoVis: I love your suggestion that someone from the Gryffindor group should try and blackmail Draco. I am going to try to use it. Thanks so much.  
  
YOU MUST READ THIS TO UNDERSTAND!!!  
  
I have changed the entire eighteenth chapter and edited a bit of the seventeenth. Basically for the seventeenth chapter I changed it after Draco slides down the stairs. He will not find out until later that his father knows he was drunk.  
  
Chapter Eighteen: Just a Little Bit Tipsy  
  
"Hey, take it easy on that firewhiskey, mate." Blaise Zabini said as he watched Draco down yet another shot. "If you're not careful that stuff will knock you right on your arse."  
  
"I know a couple of people that I'd really love to knock on their arses." Draco replied bitterly as he pushed the glass away and folded his arms on the bar.  
  
"Still hung up on those stupid Gryffindors?" Blaise asked disgustedly. "You've really got to let it go. You can't let them get to you like this."  
  
The bartender approached and placed another shot of Firewhiskey in front of Draco and a beer in front of Blaise.  
  
"I can't help it. God! They make me so mad!" Draco growled through tightly gritted teeth.  
  
"And they know that, Draco. You have to just shrug it off. You see right now they hold the advantage over you."  
  
Draco glared.  
  
"Because there are more of them." Blaise quickly added. "Really, it is mostly just you against them. Sure it's always been and always will be Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, but you've pretty much taken on the Golden trio alone. Crabbe and Goyle certainly can't contribute anything but muscle, the girls, sad to say, are pretty stupid in their remarks, Flint is gone, Montague's not that good at it, and I'm just too lazy. As of right now you make them angry they make you angry. It just constantly goes back and forth and no one wins. But, if the next time they try to get a rise out of you and you just completely ignore them and act like it doesn't bother you in the least, then it will make them more infuriated and you will hold the advantage over them. And possibly they'll get into trouble and not you."  
  
"Really? Does that actually work?"  
  
"Sure it does." Blaise answered as he took a sip of his beer. "I do it to my brother all the time. Whenever we are having an argument and he starts yelling I just shrug my shoulders and go 'whatever' and boy does he get pissed at that. He gets even angrier and winds up the one in trouble with my parents instead of me; even though I'm the one who starts it usually."  
  
"Huh. Interesting. I think that I've missed out on a lot not having any siblings." Draco said as he picked up his drink.  
  
"Believe me; you didn't miss out on much."  
  
Draco emptied his glass and placed it back on the bar feeling in somewhat better spirits.  
  
"Hey, how's it going over here?" Flint asked as he placed another empty pint on the bar between Draco and Blaise.  
  
"It's good." Blaise replied.  
  
Draco nodded and then said, "I don't know what all the fuss is over these things." He indicated the shots of Firewhiskey by pushing the glass away from him, "I've had like five of these and I don't feel anything."  
  
Flint smiled as he noticed Draco's ever so slight slur and his jerky movements. His smile broadened even more when he looked over Draco's shoulder and noticed a woman who appeared to eyeballing his young friend.  
  
"Hey, Draco, don't look now, but there happens to be a woman leering at you this very moment."  
  
"What?!" Draco said in a tone which indicated that he thought Flint was just pulling his leg. "Come off it, Flint."  
  
"I'm not kidding; she's staring right at you."  
  
"She most certainly is." Blaise added; a smile lighting across his face.  
  
Draco turned his head in the direction which his two friends had been looking, but he didn't see anyone who was particularly looking at him.  
  
"You two are lying."  
  
"No, we're not!" Blaise exclaimed.  
  
"Well then who is it?"  
  
"It's that woman in the black mini skirt and that silver-like shirt." Flint replied.  
  
Draco casually looked back but quickly turned away when he saw her. The woman was indeed staring at him. In fact, she had raised a suggestive eyebrow when he had looked in her direction.  
  
"Dear mother of God!" Draco exclaimed. "The woman's got to be fifty years old!"  
  
Both Blaise and Marcus were laughing at him.  
  
"Oh, come on, Draco, she can't be more than forty."  
  
Draco gave another quick glance in her direction. He didn't care how old she was, her appearance was really rather disturbing. She had big, frizzy, overly-bleached hair with black roots, dark skin which looked like she had spent way to much time in the sun, giving it a sort of damaged, leathery appearance, her nails looked like claws as they grew two inches beyond her fingertips, her face was almost hidden in a mask of makeup, and her outfit left hardly anything to the imagination. She was actually quite hideous and Draco felt very uncomfortable knowing that she was leering at him.  
  
"Why don't you go over and say hello?" Flint asked, a glint of mirth in his eye.  
  
Draco gave him a disgusted look.  
  
"She's not that bad." Blaise added. "Go on, she could be nice."  
  
"She might even make a man out of you tonight." Flint laughed and lightly punched Draco in the arm.  
  
Draco looked as if he were about to vomit.  
  
"Oh, wank off."  
  
"Come on, Draco." Draco just ignored Blaise.  
  
"Okay, we're sorry." Flint was trying to keep himself from laughing. "Why don't we head over to the rest of the gang? They've all congregated in that corner over there."  
  
"That means I'll have to go past that woman."  
  
"Oh, so it does." Flint said in a mock-surprised tone.  
  
Draco gave Marcus a dirty look. He then picked up the beer that Blaise had ordered for him and slid off his chair. The moment he did so it felt as if the blood was rushing to his head and everything swam in front of him. He swayed a bit and perhaps would have fallen if Marcus hadn't grabbed a hold of his arm.  
  
"You alright, mate?"  
  
"Yeah." Draco replied.  
  
"The Firewhiskey must be kicking in." Blaise said as he stood as well, beer in hand.  
  
"Yeah, I think just a bit." He shook his head slightly and when he felt like he had regained his balance he began to follow Flint and Blaise across the crowded room. As they began to pass the woman, Draco avoided looking at her at all cost. He had just about gotten past when...  
  
"Oi!" Draco whipped around and looked in shock at the woman who was now smiling and winking suggestively at him. He quickly backed away, bumping into several people as he desperately tried to scurry out of her sight; and arm's reach.  
  
"What just happened back there?" Blaise asked when Draco had reached them, the look of shock and horror still on his face.  
  
"That woman just grabbed my ass!"  
  
"What?!!" Blaise laughed.  
  
"Yes! And it wasn't a light grab either, she really went for it!"  
  
Blaise and Marcus dissolved into fits of laughter when they heard what Draco said and saw the disbelieving and shocked look on his face.  
  
"It really isn't funny. It hurt. I think she must have punctured me with those claws of hers."  
  
Blaise and Marcus now found it very difficult to remain on their feet as they doubled over in fits of laughter.  
  
"Hey, you want a cigarette?" Blaise asked, offering the pack to Draco as he placed a cigarette in his own mouth.  
  
"No, I don't smoke."  
  
"Well, up until a few hours ago you didn't drink either. Have one." Marcus said as he took a cigarette for himself and pushed the pack across the table to Draco.  
  
Draco picked up the pack and pulled out a cigarette and warily put it in his mouth. Blaise immediately held up a match and lit the end. The moment Draco inhaled he began to cough violently.  
  
"You alright there, mate?" Blaise asked as he lightly patted Draco's back and chuckled softly.  
  
"Sure." Draco managed to croak. After he was able to regain his breath he attempted once more to take a drag but wound up coughing again. "These things are nasty." He said, face contorted in revulsion as he put the cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "How can you guys smoke these?"  
  
"Takes a bit of getting used to."  
  
"I'd say it takes a lot of getting used to. Yuck!" After a moment... "Okay, all of a sudden my lip and tongue have gone numb. Is that supposed to happen?"  
  
Draco was eternally grateful when he and his father had finally made it into the Ministry of Magic. The noise of the streets above and the glaring light of the sun had made Draco's splitting headache feel like it was magnified a hundred times. He shielded his eyes as best he could from the sun but the noise was just too overpowering. All he wanted to do was crawl back into his comfortable bed and bury his head deep within his blessedly silent pillows.  
  
Thankfully the Ministry, though still far too noisy for someone with a hangover, was much quieter than the streets above. However, as he followed his father through the labyrinth of halls Draco began to fell queasier than he had before. There were too many bright colors bombarding him from all sides, the lights were far too bright, there were too many nauseating smells, no airflow, and why was it so hot? Draco focused his eyes down on the floor and began pulling at the collar of his shirt. His stomach began to churn and it was becoming a bit harder to breath. He needed to sit down. He needed to sit down right now! He pulled harder at his collar and continued to stare down at the floor, trying to focus on the pattern of the tiles than increasing need to sit down and puke. He felt beads of sweat developing on his brow and his body began to fell shaky.  
  
He hadn't noticed that his father had stopped in front of him until he almost walked right into him. He managed to avoid colliding into his father and took a couple of steps back; eyes still focused on the floor and hand still pulling on his collar.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy." Came a far-too cheery voice.  
  
Lucius nodded an acknowledgement to the secretary Miss Westcott. He then looked back at Draco and noted, with much concern, the distressed look upon his son's face and the extreme paleness of his skin. At the sound of Miss Westcott's voice he turned back around.  
  
"Mr. Thompson and Mr. Hampton have arrived and the meeting has been moved to room thirteen. It starts in five minutes. Um, is he alright?" she asked, looking very concerned at Draco who was now swaying slightly and having an even more difficult time breathing. Lucius quickly turned about.  
  
Draco's vision had gone slightly fuzzy and everything seemed to be spinning about him. Everything seemed unreal, dreamlike, and he barely registered the sound of his father's voice.  
  
"Draco, are you alright? Perhaps you should sit down."  
  
Draco looked blearily up at his father. "Father, I don't think I feel very well."  
  
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than he collapsed. 


	19. Confession

A/N: Hey! Well, sorry for the long delay in updating. I've just been in a bit of a funk lately. I also had some severe writer's block and just couldn't seem to get this chapter written. Well, at long last here it is and I hope you guys like it. I must apologize at not showing more of drunken Draco, but I felt that I really needed to get past the drunk episode and move forward. I need to bring Narcissa back for some more hilarious stuff. Poor Draco is going to be disgusted at the way his parents now won't stop flirting with each other. Come on, nothing is worse than seeing your parents all googily eyed with each other.

Well, all that and more coming up. There will be a 'Bring-Your-Child-to-Work-Day' as well as a father/son picnic. Poor Draco; he's in for a lot of father/son bonding.

Chapter Nineteen: Confession

Draco groaned; if it was possible his head hurt worse than it had before. Instead of a hard thumping the pain was now a sharp pulsating sensation. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. Somehow he was back in his room lying upon his own bed. Had everything that happened that morning just been a dream? The last thing he remembered was feeling sick in the Ministry; now he was back in his bed, feeling worse than he had before.

"I see you've finally decided to wake up."

Draco jumped at the unexpected voice beside him. He turned his head ever so slightly and peered with blurry eyes at the figure of his father who sat in a chair next to the bed. Lucius set down the book he was reading and looked at his son with an expression of mock concern.

"How are you feeling, Draco?"

Draco gave a groan as his reply.

"You really had me worried when you fainted right on the floor of the Ministry."

Draco went a little pink at the mention of his fainting. He was embarrassed at the idea of so many people seeing him pass out like a little pansy boy. The absurdity of the idea of his father being 'worried' about him didn't even cross his mind as he was plagued with thoughts of what his friends will say once they hear of it, which they undoubtedly would.

"So, it wasn't a dream." Draco said bitterly.

"Afraid not, son."

"Did...did you summon a doctor?" Draco asked apprehensively, knowing full well that his father must have and that he'd know now exactly why Draco wasn't feeling well.

"Yes, I did. He says that you have a virus."

Draco looked at his father with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"He... he says that I have a virus?"

"Yes, and he says that in order to get well again you need to drink plenty of fluids and to eat as well."

Draco gave an almost comical grimace at the sound of food. Lucius had to suppress a smile.

"Father, I'd rather not..." Draco began.

"Nonsense.' Lucius interrupted. "We must follow the doctor's orders. Dinny!!!!"

"Ow!" Draco moaned as his father's voice echoed off the walls and rang in his ears, causing the pain in his head to intensify. He threw his arms over his face so that his ears and eyes were covered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Draco, was that too loud?"

In a flash Dinny the house elf had appeared within the room carrying a very heavily laden tray. Dinny struggled to keep the tray from toppling over as she swayed dangerously to and fro. After a few close calls, Dinny finally made it to the side of Draco's bed and stopped. She looked apprehensively up at her master. Lucius gave her a short nod of his head. Dinny turned her face to look sadly at the stricken form of her young master and then back to look imploringly up at Lucius. Lucius glared at her sternly and mouthed a silent, "now".

Dinny heaved a heavy sigh, scrunched her eyes tightly shut, and threw the entire tray upon the floor causing an immensely deafening sound which reverberated throughout the room and caused Draco to howl in pain. He rolled over onto to his stomach and crawled so that his head was buried under a small mound of pillows. Lucius could hear several muffled curses emanating from underneath the pile of fluff. He had to quickly stifle the silent laughter so that his voice would sound believingly stern.

"Dinny! You clumsy, stupid elf! Clean that mess up and bring in another tray at once! Then afterwards you may punish yourself."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." Dinny squeaked.

A couple of minutes later Dinny reappeared with a second tray. This time, however, she did not drop it upon the floor but instead placed it upon the small table which sat next to Draco's bed.

"Now, come out of there, Draco, you need to eat something like the doctor ordered."

"No."

"Draco, you must at least drink something."

"Noooo."

"Draco!" Lucius said more sternly, "You will do as I say; now come out from underneath those pillows."

Draco slowly and very reluctantly began to extricate himself from his feathery comfort. He almost immediately reburied his head as the smell of the food reached his nose. Any other day he would have been delighted at the sight of chocolate chip pancakes, waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, French toast drowned in syrup, fried eggs, and greasy rashers. However, today he couldn't even handle the thought.

"Oh my God!" Draco groaned as he fell back into his pillows.

Lucius gave a satisfied smile at just how green Draco looked at that moment. His plan was working; Draco wouldn't be able to stand it much longer and would have to confess.

"Come now, Draco, this will make you feel so much better."

"No it won't." came the whimper.

"Yes, it will."

Draco was about to contradict his father again when that all-too-familiar feeling churned within his stomach again.

"Oh, God!" Draco was out of his bed in a flash and just made it to the toilet in time. A few minutes, and groans, later Draco returned, looking worse than he ever had. He crawled shakily back into bed and wrapped himself in the blankets.

"Father, didn't the doctor give you something to help me?" he asked weakly. "Something besides 'food'." Draco said the last word as if it the worst thing on earth.

"No, I'm afraid he didn't."

"Then can't you just Avada Kedavra me or something? Just please put me out of my misery!"

"Now that you mention it; there is one thing that always helps me when I am feeling ill. Dinny!!!"

"Must you do that?" Draco muttered.

"Yes, master?" Dinny asked as she appeared, her hands now bandaged as it appeared that her choice of punishment hand been to burn her hands.

"Bring me a bottle of brandy." Lucius said in a voice too low for Draco to hear clearly.

In a moment Dinny had returned with a bottle of brandy and a glass.

"Ah, now sit up, Draco, and drink this."

Draco obediently pushed himself up into a sitting position and took the glass from his father's hand.

"What is it?" Draco asked. He then saw the bottle sitting upon the table. "Father! This isn't..." he sniffed the glass, "Arghh, I can't drink this!" He held the glass back to his father who did not reach out and take it.

"Why not? Brandy is good for you. Go on...have some."

"No, Father, I can't even stand the smell of it right now; please take it."

"Come now, Draco, be a man and drink it. What would your friends say? Do you want to be a...oh what is the word they use...ah, a wimp?"

Draco looked intently at his Father. "You know, don't you?" Draco said in almost a whisper.

"Know what?" Lucius asked innocently.

"About last night."

"What the devil are you going on about?" Lucius said in mock naiveté.

Draco scowled at his father. "Look, I'll confess if you please just get rid of this and all of that food!"

"Very well." Lucius motioned for Dinny to take the glass of Brandy and the tray. He then settled himself down in the chair next to Draco's bed and watched as his son began to fidget nervously.

"I...well you see," Draco faltered. He began to chew on his lower lip and looked anywhere but at his father. He took a deep, calming breath and began again. "Last night I snuck out of the house against your wishes and went out with some of my friends."

"And where did you go with these friends?"

"Um, to a couple of small pubs and a club or two."

"And what did you do there?"

"Drank." The answer was barely audible.

"I see. How much did you drink to get you so inebriated?"

"I had a couple of beers and some fire whiskey. I don't really remember if I had anything else or how much. Most of last night is a blank." Draco risked a timid glance at his father. "Are you really angry at me, Father?"

Lucius heaved a deep sigh. "No, Draco I am not really angry. I am mostly disappointed in you."

Draco's shoulders slumped further at this.

"I just can't believe that my son would leave the house when I specifically told him not to, and then go and get himself completely intoxicated and then lie to me about it."

"I didn't lie; I just didn't tell you." Draco muttered solemly.

"How many times have you done this, Draco? I want a straight answer."

"Never." Draco quickly replied. "I've never snuck out before and last night was the first time I ever drank I swear."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Why did you do it? I can understand about the sneaking out, but I don't understand about the drinking. If you had never done it before then why did you do it last night?"

Draco looked away from his father again and back down at his knees. "I guess I was just angry."

"At me." Lucius stated it as more of a fact than a question.

"No..." Draco shook his head slightly and tried to remember why he had been angry last night. He knew it wasn't entirely towards his father; then he remembered. "We had a bit of a run in with that stupid git Harry Potter and some friends of his."

Lucius gave a nod of understanding. "I see. But that is still no excuse."

"I know. I'm...sorry."

Lucius rose out of his chair and looked down at his son with a slight smile. "Well, I suppose there was no real harm done; as long as you didn't wind up with some tattoo or odd piercing."

"Not that I know of."

"Good."

"What is my punishment going to be?"

"I hadn't really thought on it. Don't fret though, it will be mild." Draco turned his head up to look at his father with a surprised expression upon his face. "I think that all of the suffering you have done today will be considered part of your punishment." Draco nodded his head. "However," Lucius said in a severe tone, "should some young lady come around here saying that you got her pregnant in your drunken state then your punishment will be great and painful."

Draco gulped but was then stunned when his father let his features contort into a smile and he winked mischievously at him. Lucius then turned and headed towards the door. Before he shut the door he called back over his shoulder, "I will send in a servant with something to take care of that nasty hangover of yours."

Draco didn't even hear what his father had said. He was too stunned by the fact that his father had made a joke. Cold, hard Lucius Malfoy had made a joke. Had hell indeed frozen over?


	20. A Plot Develops

A/N: Hey! Thanks for your reviews! That was pretty quick. I'm glad you liked the chapter.

HoVis: Glad you liked the little joke. I like your idea about Draco having actually shagged someone. I am taking that thought but putting a twist to it. Read this chapter and you'll see what it is. I hope you like it. It won't be with that woman because that would be kind of sick. She was a bit to old and ugly for a sixteen year old.

Mystic Fire Demon: Cool name. Well, the answer to your question as to where Narcissa is is in Chapter 14. She went away for a little while because she received a message that her mother is not feeling very well. It's been so long that I even forgot where she went.

Kellalor: I'm glad that you liked that chapter. Here's another for your reading enjoyment. I must apologize though because there won't be too much Draco in it I'm afraid. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty: A Plot Develops

"Hey, everyone."

"Hi, Fred. Hello, George." Came a chorus of greetings as the infamous duo entered the Weasley house. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked curiously at the two twins as they proceeded to find empty places to sit. They each bore very broad grins on their faces and to anyone who new them this was never a good thing.

"What are you two smiling about?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you never would believe what we saw at the Ministry today." Fred said as he began to snigger slightly.

"Yeah, it was great." George added, laughing as well.

"Well, aren't you two going to tell us?" Ginny asked a little annoyed after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, right. Well," began George, "take a guess at who we saw today at the Ministry."

"Who?" Ron asked.

"No, go on, guess." George said.

"Look," Hermione said in an exasperated tone, "we are not going to play your silly little game. Now, are you going to tell what happened or not?"

"Fine." The two twins said resentfully. They then muttered before continuing, "Spoil our fun."

"Well, we were on our way to see dad when who should we see walking down the halls but none other than the drunken ferret himself."

"Malfoy?!" said Ginny disbelievingly.

"Yup. He was walking down the hall with his 'dear old dad' and he did 'not' look good."

"Does he ever?" There were a few sniggers at Ron's comment.

"Well, sometimes he does." Ginny said before she could catch herself. Everyone within the room stared horrified at Ginny. "What?" she said defensively. "It's not that I like him it's just that sometimes the slimy git can look decent."

Everyone made looks of disgust but decided to drop the subject for the moment.

"Anyways," George continued, "he must have had some hangover because he passed out right there in the middle of the Ministry hallway."

Everyone laughed.

"I sure whish that I could have seen the ferret faint." Ron said as he kept imagining it in his mind. "Harry," he jabbed his friend in the side with his elbow. "now we've got something to really tease him about this year."

"Now, Ron, that's not very nice." Hermione admonished.

"Who cares about niceness when it comes to Malfoy? Besides, he teased Harry all third year about fainting from the Dementers and that's ten times worse than a little hangover."

"I'm not too sure about that." Fred said.

"Yeah, hangovers are absolute hell." George added.

"I wonder why he was at the Ministry and not at home being coddled by his Mummy." Ginny said.

Everyone in the room fell silent for several minutes as they both imagined the scene in their minds and also thought of ways in which to torture Draco about it. Suddenly George stood up from the couch with his hands on his head.

"Oh! Oh my gosh! Oh! I am such a genius!" he began to pace about the room; all eyes were fixed curiously upon him. "Oh this is going to great!"

"Would you mind letting the rest of us in on what is so great?" Harry asked.

"You guys are going to love this!" George gave a wicked laugh as he planted himself back on the couch and leaned eagerly forward; a mad, excited look in his eye. "What would you all say to playing a really good practical joke on Malfoy?"

"I'd say that would be great, but what kind of joke?" Harry replied.

"You remember how drunk he was when we found him puking his guts out in the ally?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, chances are he doesn't remember much of last night; in fact, I'd wager he doesn't really remember anything."

"Where are you going with this, George?" Ron asked.

"How about we give him the scare of his life?"

"What kind of scare?" This question came from Hermione.

George laughed wickedly again. "Why don't we make the little Malfoy prince believe that he shagged a girl last night and in a couple of weeks we'll tell him that he got the girl pregnant?"

For a few moments everyone simply gaped at George in astonishment. In fact, the silence stretched on for so long that George was afraid that his idea had not been well received.

"Oh my gosh! That would be hilarious!" Ron yelled.

"Good work, George." Fred said as he gave his brother a pat on the back.

"See I told you I was genius." George leaned back into the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, and a self satisfied grin stretching across his face.

"Goodness you're evil." Ginny said as she shook her head. "Do you guys really think that it would work?"

"Sure." Chimed in Fred. "He was by himself after all. Who knows how long he was out there. So, there is most likely no one to tell him that he didn't."

"Who will we get to say that they did 'it' with Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"I vote Ginny does it." George said as he looked mischievously at his little sister who was now gaping at him.

"What!" she shrieked. "Why me?!"

"Well, it's obvious that you like him. I think that that is reason enough for you to be the girl."

"I...I do NOT like him!!!"

"But didn't you just say a few minutes ago that..."

"All I said was that he looks good sometimes!"

"Well, if that isn't a admission of love I don't know what is."

"I...I....George, I aught to..."

"Take it easy, Ginny." Fred said in a calming tone. "George is just kidding you. You're really the only logical choice here anyways. The only other girl is Hermione and for some reason I just don't think that it is plausible that Malfoy would shag her even being as drunk as he was."

"Hey!" Hermione yelled indignantly.

"Sorry, Hermione. No offense, it's just that you two hate each other too much for that to happen."

"Fine! I'll do it." Ginny said, however a deep scowl remained on her face.

"Alright then," said George, "How should we go about this?"

For the rest of the afternoon the six teenagers began to plot and plan for the best practical joke that they would ever play. At the same time, in a very different home far away, Draco Malfoy was finally sleeping peacefully; oblivious to the horror that was to befall him.

Flashback:

"Mum's going to kill us when we get home." Ron said in worried voice. "I can't believe that we're an hour late!"

"Ron, I'm sure she's not going to mind too much." Hermione soothed, "I mean, we're all out here together. She won't be too mad at us." Ron gave Hermione a weak smile. "You don't know Mum that well do you?"

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone groaning in the dark alleyway which they were just passing.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked.

The moans were heard again; a bit louder this time.

"Someone must be hurt." Harry said as he rushed into the narrow alley.

"Harry Potter; forever the hero." Fred and George said together as they rolled their eyes and followed the rest of the group into the darkness.

As the group entered they could see a dark figure kneeling next to the wall; his forehead pressed against the cold stone.

"Hey, are you alright?" Harry asked tentatively, not sure whether the boy in front of them was hurt or just sick. The answer to that question came soon enough as the figure lurched to the side and proceeded to puke a brownish liquid upon the uneven cobblestones.

There were several "Ew's" and a couple of "Ughh's" as each person tried not to feel sick themselves at the sight. The figure let out another moan and began to push himself back so that he was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall. There were several gasps as they saw the ashen white face of Draco Malfoy. Draco heard the gasps and peered up through bleary, almost unseeing, eyes.

"You." Draco said in utter disgust when he finally recognized the people who were standing in front of him. "This 's your fault." He slurred as he attempted rather unsuccessfully to stand. "You did this to me."

"He's completely wasted!" Fred and George exclaimed in astonishment. In the meantime Draco had managed to stand but had to lean heavily upon the wall for support. He looked venomously at the group, but mostly at Harry Potter.

"I hate you! I hate you all!" Draco had made a fist and was trying to push himself off the wall in order to get closer to the group.

"You're mental, Malfoy." Harry said.

"Would you hold still so I can hit you?!" Draco yelled as he swayed dangerously.

Everyone looked at Draco as if he were nuts for none of them were moving in the slightest.

"Look, Malfoy, you're completely wasted." Hermione said as she approached him; taking a hold of one arm and pushing down the one with his clenched fist. "Even though you're an evil prick we'll find someone to take you home."

"Don't touch me, Mudblood!" Draco wrenched his arms from her light grasp which resulted in him falling back against the wall. "I'm fine! I don't need you're help."

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Ron yelled. He drew his fist back and tried to get at Malfoy but was held back by several pairs of arms.

"Ron! Leave him." Ginny said to her brother, "He's drunk he can't defend himself."

"Fine by me."

"Ron!" Hermione yelled more sternly, "LEAVE him."

Ron reluctantly lowered his fist. Draco gave a lopsided smirk and was about to say something when he suddenly lurched forward; falling to his knees, and puked again.

"Come on," Harry said in disgust, "let's just go."

"We just can't leave him here." Ginny said with a little bit more concern in her voice than she had intended.

"Why not?" Fred asked as he carelessly shrugged his shoulders. "The ferret says he's fine so let's just go."

The six exited the dark ally, leaving Draco to his audible misery.


End file.
